Inpatient palliative care related to fewer intensive care admissions
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Released: 2020-10-21
Receipt of inpatient palliative care is associated with lower odds of an intensive care admission. Furthermore, receipt of palliative care more than 30 days before death is also associated with lower odds of death in hospital and use of alternate level of care beds. These are some of the findings from a new study released today in Health Reports.
Using death records linked to hospitalization information, the study examines the receipt of inpatient palliative care in the year prior to death, and its link to location of death (i.e., in hospital or outside of hospital) and outcomes such as being hospitalized in the intensive care unit or in alternate level of care beds.
Most people do not receive palliative care in the year prior to death, even if they are hospitalized
Although most people (67.7%) visited a hospital at least once in the year prior to their death, few (18.7%) received inpatient palliative care. These rates varied across the provinces, as shown in Chart 1. Decedents from New Brunswick (71.0%) and Ontario (68.1%) were most likely to have been hospitalized in the year prior to death, whereas those from Manitoba (60.8%) and Prince Edward Island (62.5%) were least likely. Decedents in Nova Scotia who had been hospitalized were most likely to have received inpatient palliative care (30.6%), whereas those from Alberta were least likely (15.3%).
Chart 1
Hospitalization and receipt of inpatient palliative care, in the year prior to death, by province
Chart 2
Hospitalization and receipt of inpatient palliative care in the year prior to death, by cause of death
Receipt of pre-terminal inpatient palliative care, defined as care initiated prior to the last 30 days of life, was even less common. Among those who received inpatient palliative care and who were in the hospital at least once prior to their last 30 days of life, 21.7% received pre-terminal palliative care. In other words, for the majority of individuals who received palliative care in hospital, it was initiated within the last 30 days of life.
Note to readers
This study is based on deaths among adults (i.e., age 19 and older) that occurred between April 1, 2010, and December 31, 2014, as per the Canadian Vital Statistics – Death Database. These death records were linked to the Discharge Abstract Database (DAD) to examine any acute care hospitalizations that occurred in the year (365 days) prior to death. Because Quebec does not report to the DAD, decedents from that province were excluded from the analytical sample. Furthermore, because the rate of inpatient palliative care was so low for decedents from the territories, they were also excluded from analysis.
Products
The article "Associations between the receipt of inpatient palliative care and acute care outcomes: A retrospective study" is now available in the October 2020 online issue of Health Reports, Vol. 31, no. 10 (82-003-X).
This issue of Health Reports also contains the article "Added, free and total sugar content and consumption of foods and beverages in Canada."
Contact information
To enquire about "Associations between the receipt of inpatient palliative care and acute care outcomes: A retrospective study," contact Amy T. Hsu (ahsu@ohri.ca), Ottawa Hospital Research Institute.
To enquire about "Added, free and total sugar content and consumption of foods and beverages in Canada," contact Paul Veugelers (paul.veugelers@ualberta.ca), University of Alberta.
For more information, or to enquire about the concepts, methods or data quality of this release, contact us (toll-free 1-800-263-1136; 514-283-8300; STATCAN.infostats-infostats.STATCAN@canada.ca).
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