Survey of the Circumstances of Cancer Patients Treated at Home and the Presence of Doctors and Nurses at the Time of Death

Takuya Shinjo; Masakatsu Shimizu; Keijiro Miyake; Manabu Tamura; Junichiro Toya; Hiroto Shirayama; Takamichi Matsuki; Akihiro Ishikawa; Yasunori Muraoka; Jun Hamano

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Survey of the Circumstances of Cancer Patients Treated at Home and the Presence of Doctors and Nurses at the Time of Death

VernacularTitle:自宅で療養するがん患者の状況と死亡時の医師や看護師の立ち会いについての調査研究
Author: Takuya SHINJO ¹ ; Masakatsu SHIMIZU ² ; Keijiro MIYAKE ³ ; Manabu TAMURA ⁴ ; Junichiro TOYA ⁵ ; Hiroto SHIRAYAMA ⁶ ; Takamichi MATSUKI ⁷ ; Akihiro ISHIKAWA ⁸ ; Yasunori MURAOKA ⁹ ; Jun HAMANO ¹⁰
Author Information

1. Shinjo Clinic
2. Shimizu Medical Clinic
3. Home Care Keijiro Clinic,
4. Osaka Oushin Clinic
5. Sakura-Shinmachi Urban Clinic
6. Osaka Kita Homecare Clinic
7. Fujisawa-Honmachi Family Clinic
8. Ishikawa Rehab-Neurosurgical Clinic
9. Muraoka Home Clinic
10. Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Center for Medical Liaison and Patient Support Service, Center for Palliative and Supportive Care
Keywords: home hospice care; palliative care; the presence at the time of patients’ death
From:Palliative Care Research 2020;15(4):259-263
CountryJapan
Language:Japanese
Abstract: In recent years, the system for providing home medical care and palliative care has been improved, and the number of cancer patients who are treated at home until the end is increasing. The aim of this study was to investigate the circumstances of cancer patients who died at home and the presence of doctors and nurses at the moment of death. We conducted a prospective survey of end-oflife cancer patients receiving home visits from home care and palliative care clinics in Japan from 1st July to 31st December 2017. During the study period, we analyzed the mortality status of 676 patients who died in their homes, serviced by 45 clinics. Of these patients, 91% were living with families, 49% died on holidays or at night, and the doctor and nurse was present at the time of death in only 5.6% and 9.9% of cases, respectively. Most of the patients who died at home lived with their families, with few doctors and nurses present at the time of their patients’ death.