Journal article
Palliative care for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease: Exploring the landscape
J Philip, A Lowe, M Gold, C Brand, B Miller, J Douglass, V Sundararajan
Internal Medicine Journal | WILEY-BLACKWELL | Published : 2012
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.
Grants
Funding Acknowledgements
This research was supported by a research grant from the Bethlehem Griffiths Research Foundation.