Palliative care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: exploring the landscape

Intern Med J. 2012 Sep;42(9):1053-7. doi: 10.1111/j.1445-5994.2012.02830.x.

Abstract

Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease experience a substantial symptom burden, high levels of psychosocial need and significant mortality. This epidemiological study reveals that the majority of patients are cared for in the public hospital system (64%) and generally die in hospital (72%) with a number of identifiable predictors of 6-month mortality. Our results suggest that palliative care services need to be redirected from a community-based admission focus to a model that is responsive to emergency and acute care hospital systems.

Keywords: chronic obstructive pulmonary disease; epidemiology; hospitalisation; palliative care.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Aged
  • Aged, 80 and over
  • Asthma / mortality
  • Asthma / therapy
  • Comorbidity
  • Emergency Service, Hospital / statistics & numerical data
  • Female
  • Health Services Needs and Demand
  • Hospitals, Private / statistics & numerical data
  • Hospitals, Public / statistics & numerical data
  • Humans
  • Length of Stay / statistics & numerical data
  • Male
  • Middle Aged
  • Palliative Care / statistics & numerical data*
  • Patient Admission / statistics & numerical data
  • Patient Readmission / statistics & numerical data
  • Prognosis
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / mortality
  • Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / therapy*
  • Respiration, Artificial / statistics & numerical data
  • Retrospective Studies
  • Victoria / epidemiology