scholarly journals Impact of Accuracy of Survival Predictions on Quality of End-of-Life Care Among Patients With Metastatic Cancer Who Receive Radiation Therapy

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (3) ◽  
pp. e262-e270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katherine Sborov ◽  
Stephanie Giaretta ◽  
Amanda Koong ◽  
Sonya Aggarwal ◽  
Rebecca Aslakson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Private Insurance ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Younger Age ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Generalized Estimation Equation ◽  
Oncology Practice

PURPOSE: For patients treated with palliative radiation, we examined the association between life expectancy predictions by radiation oncologists and aggressive end-of-life care. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included decedents from a study that assessed the ability of oncologists to predict survival of patients with metastatic cancer who received radiation. We identified patients who died within 12 months of study enrollment to assess accuracy of predictions. Aggressive end-of-life care was defined by the National Quality Forum, ASCO Quality Oncology Practice Initiative metrics, and advanced radiation modalities in the last month of life. Survival predictions were categorized as follows: correct (< 12 months), 12 to 18 months, 18 to 24 months, and more than 24 months. We assessed association between prediction and aggressive end-of-life care using a generalized estimation equation. RESULTS: Of 489 decedents, we identified 467 encounters with survival estimates. Overall, 156 decedents (32%) met at least one metric of aggressive end-of-life care. Factors associated with aggressive end-of-life care included younger age, female sex, primary cancer diagnosis, no brain metastases, and private insurance. In each encounter when an oncologist predicted survival, 363 predictions (78%) were correct (< 12 months), 54 (11%) incorrectly predicted 12 to 18 months, 27 (6%) predicted 18 to 24 months, and 23 (5%) predicted more than 24 months. Compared with patients who had encounters that had correct survival predictions, patients predicted to live more than 24 months were more likely to meet at least one metric of aggressive end-of-life care (odds ratio, 2.55; 95% CI, 1.09 to 5.99; P = .03). CONCLUSION: Inaccurate survival predictions by oncologists are associated with more aggressive end-of-life care for patients with advanced cancer.

Developing a national quality register in end-of-life care: The Swedish experience

2011 ◽  
Vol 26 (4) ◽  
pp. 313-321 ◽  
Author(s):  
Staffan Lundström ◽  
Bertil Axelsson ◽  
Per-Anders Heedman ◽  
Greger Fransson ◽  
Carl Johan Fürst
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Nursing Facilities ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Quality Register ◽  
Dying Patients ◽  
National Quality ◽  
Hospital Wards ◽  
National Quality Register

Background: The complexity of end-of-life care, represented by a large number of units caring for dying patients, different types of organizations and difficulties in identification and prognostication, signifies the importance of finding ways to measure the quality of end-of-life care. Aim: To establish, test and manage a national quality register for end-of-life care. Design: Two questionnaires were developed with an attempt to retrospectively identify important aspects of the care delivered during the last week in life. An internet-based IT platform was created, enabling the physician and/or nurse responsible for the care during the last week in life to register answers online. Setting: Units caring for dying people, such as hospital wards, home care units, palliative in-patient care units and nursing facilities. Results: The register received status as a National Quality Register in 2006. More than 30,000 deaths in nursing facilities, hospital wards, palliative in-patient units and private homes were registered during 2010, representing 34% of all deaths in Sweden and 58% of the cancer deaths. Conclusions: We have shown that it is feasible to establish a national quality register in end-of-life care and collect data through a web-based system. Ongoing data analyses will show in what way this initiative can lead to improved quality of life for patients and their families. There is an ongoing process internationally to define relevant outcome measures for quality of care at the end-of-life in different care settings; the registry has a potentially important role in this development.

Quality of end-of-life care for veterans with metastatic cancer and advanced chronic kidney disease.

2019 ◽  
Vol 37 (15_suppl) ◽  
pp. e18281-e18281
Author(s):  
Shakira Jeanene Grant ◽  
Claire A Richards ◽  
Nicholas Burwick ◽  
Paul L Hebert ◽  
Ann A O'Hare
Keyword(s):  
Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Veterans Affairs ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Advanced Chronic Kidney Disease ◽  
Bereaved Family ◽  
To Receive

e18281 Background: Patients with cancer receive less aggressive interventions and higher quality end-of-life care than those with advanced chronic kidney disease (ACKD). However, the relationship between ACKD and cancer and patterns and quality of end-of-life care is poorly understood. Methods: Among a retrospective cohort of all patients with ACKD (estimated glomerular filtration rate < 20 mL/min/1.73m2) who died in Veterans Affairs facilities between 2009-2015 ( N = 9993), we compared dialysis treatment patterns, end-of-life care and family rated quality of care among those who did and did not have a diagnosis of metastatic cancer during the year before death. Data sources included Veterans Affairs clinical and administrative data, Medicare claims, and the United States Renal Data System registry. Family ratings of end-of-life care were based on responses to the Bereaved Family Survey (BFS). We fit logistic regression models and converted the coefficients to predicted probabilities Results: Overall, 1,237(12.4%) patients had a diagnostic code for metastatic cancer during the year before death. These patients were less likely than other patients to have been treated with dialysis before death. In analyses adjusted for patient characteristics and dialysis receipt, patients with metastatic cancer were less likely than other patients to receive intensive procedures (predicted probability: 18.2% vs. 36.2%) and to be admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) within 30 days of death (30.7% vs. 50.1 %), or die in the ICU (16.2% vs. 33%). These patients were also more likely to receive a palliative care consultation within 90 days of death (46.6% vs. 37%) and to have hospice services at the time of death (55.3% vs. 33.4 %). Family-rated overall quality of care was higher for those with metastatic cancer (59.6% vs. 54.1%). Family members of patients with metastatic cancer also provided more favorable ratings for five individual BFS items including provider listening, informational, emotional support before death and pain control. All comparisons were statistically significant (i.e., P < 0.05). Conclusions: Within a national cohort of US Veterans with ACKD, the presence of metastatic cancer was associated with less dialysis utilization, less intensive medical care, and significantly higher bereaved family ratings of end-of-life care.

Quality of End of Life Care among Metastatic Cancer Patients Receiving Radiation Therapy

2018 ◽  
Vol 102 (3) ◽  
pp. e423
Author(s):  
K. Sborov ◽  
S. Giaretta ◽  
A. Koong ◽  
S. Aggarwal ◽  
R. Von Eyben ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Radiation Therapy ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Cancer Patients ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Life Care

scholarly journals Quality of End-of-Life Care Provided to Patients With Different Serious Illnesses

2016 ◽  
Vol 176 (8) ◽  
pp. 1095 ◽  
Author(s):  
Melissa W. Wachterman ◽  
Corey Pilver ◽  
Dawn Smith ◽  
Mary Ersek ◽  
Stuart R. Lipsitz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care

scholarly journals Validation of the Chinese version of the Care Evaluation Scale for measuring the quality of structure and process of end-of-life care from the perspective of bereaved family

2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Juanjuan Zhao ◽  
Liming You ◽  
Hongmei Tao ◽  
Frances Kam Yuet Wong
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Mainland China ◽  
Chinese Version ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Quality Of Dying ◽  
Bereaved Family ◽  
Quality Of Structure ◽  
Care Evaluation

Abstract Background Assessing the quality of structure and process of end-of-life care can help improve outcomes. There was currently no valid tool for this purpose in Mainland China. The aim of this study is to validate the Chinese version of the Care Evaluation Scale (CES). Methods From January to December 2017, a cross-sectional online survey was conducted among bereaved family members of cancer patients from 10 medical institutes. The reliability of the CES was assessed with Cronbach’s α, and structural validity was evaluated by confirmatory factor analysis. Concurrent validity was tested by examining the correlation between the CES total score and overall satisfaction with end-of-life care, quality of dying and death, and quality of life. Results A total of 305 valid responses were analyzed. The average CES score was 70.7 ± 16.4, and the Cronbach’s α of the CES was 0.967 (range: 0.802–0.927 for the 10 domains). The fit indices for the 10-factor model of CES were good(root-mean-square error of approximation, 0.047; comparative fit index, 0.952; Tucker–Lewis index, 0.946; standardized root mean square residual, 0.053). The CES total score was highly correlated with overall satisfaction with medical care (r = 0.775, P < 0.01), and moderately correlated with patients’ quality of life (r = 0.579, P < 0.01) and quality of dying and death (r = 0.570, P < 0.01). In addition, few associations between CES total score and demographic characteristics, except for the family members’ age. Conclusions The Chinese version of the CES is a reliable and valid tool to evaluate the quality of structure and process of end-of-life care for patients with cancer from the perspective of bereaved family in Mainland China.

Quality of end-of-life care for Vietnam-era Veterans: Implications for practice and policy

Healthcare ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (2) ◽  
pp. 100494
Author(s):  
Ann Kutney-Lee ◽  
Dawn Smith ◽  
Hilary Griffin ◽  
Daniel Kinder ◽  
Joan Carpenter ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Vietnam Era

scholarly journals Last Place of Care and End-of-Life Quality of Life in the United States: Evidence From a National Representative Data Set

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 17-17
Author(s):  
Yifan Lou ◽  
Nan Jiang ◽  
Katherine Ornstein
Keyword(s):  
Quality Of Life ◽  
Older Adults ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
The United States ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Person Centered Care ◽  
Centered Care ◽  
The Relationship

Abstract Background: Quality of life (QoL) during last stage of life has raised expanded interests as an important aspect of person-centered care. Last place of care (LPC), refer to the last place decedents received their formal end-of-life care (EOLC), has been identified as a key indicator of older adults’ end-of-life QoL, but the relationship was understudied. This study explores the association between LPC and end-of-life QoL among American older adults. Methods: Data used seven waves of Last Month of Life data with a total sample of 3068 Medicare decedents in NHATS. Outcome is end-of-life QoL assessed by eleven measures on four domains: pain and symptoms management (SP), quality of healthcare encounter (HE), person-centered care (PC), and overall quality of care (QC). LPC was categorized into home, hospital, nursing home, and residential hospice. Multivariate logistic regression analyses were used to examine the relationship with covariates. Results: LPC varied by most demographic characteristics, except immigration status and education. Older adults whose LPC is hospital, compared to those who had home-care, were less likely to have great experiences on HE, PC, and QC. People dying at nursing homes are more likely to receive care meeting their dyspnea and spiritual needs. Residential hospice is negatively related to respected care, clear coordination, and keeping family informed, but are more likely to provide PS and spiritual care. Discussion: Home-based end-of-life care has certain advantages but still has room to improve on SP and religious concerns. Hospitals should keep reforming their service delivery structure to improve patients’ QoL.

scholarly journals Challenges Related to Informal Care Partners’ Involvement in End-of-Life-Care in Assisted Living

2020 ◽  
Vol 4 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. 16-17
Author(s):  
Molly Perkins ◽  
Ann Vandenberg ◽  
Candace Kemp ◽  
Mary Ball ◽  
Joanna Jungerman ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Informal Care ◽  
Caregiver Burden ◽  
Assisted Living ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Term Care ◽  
Care Partners ◽  
Relational Factors

Abstract Limited empirical evidence suggests that caregiver burden is greater for informal care partners (family and friends) in assisted living (AL) compared with other long-term care settings, particularly within context of end of life. Using qualitative data from a larger 5-year, 7-site study of end-of-life care in AL funded by the National Institute on Aging (R01AG047408), we investigate informal care partners’ involvement in end-of-life care and identify challenges related to informal caregiving that might contribute to care burden. Grounded theory analysis of ethnographic data and in-depth interviews (average interview length = 97 minutes) with 59 racially and ethnically diverse informal care partners (mean age = 60) shows that informal care partner involvement in end-of-life care varies across participants and over time and is shaped by multiple intersecting social and structural determinants. At individual levels, these include many personal, situational, and relational factors. Personal factors include but are not limited to care partners’ own physical and mental health and material resources (e.g., ability to pay for supplementary care). Situational and relational factors include care partners’ awareness (or lack thereof) of residents’ impending death and the quality of the caregiving relationship. AL and wider community-level factors include understaffing, staff turnover, inadequate hospice support, and lack of access to these services. We find that informal care partners navigate these caregiving challenges through a basic social process we conceptualize as “negotiating risks.” Strategies for easing caregiver burden and improving informal care partner and resident quality of life at end of life are implicated.

Anxiety, Depression, and End‐of‐Life Care Utilization in Adults with Metastatic Cancer

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Brenna Mossman ◽  
Laura M. Perry ◽  
Leah E. Walsh ◽  
James Gerhart ◽  
Sonia Malhotra ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Metastatic Cancer ◽  
Care Utilization ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Anxiety Depression
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