Comparison between Characteristics and Survival Outcomes of Cancer and Non-Cancer Inpatients Referred to Palliative Care Consultation Services

Main Article Content

Nattida Sungsittayakorn, MD
Thacha Pithayapibulpong, MD
Bhorn-ake Manasvanich, MD

Abstract

Objective: To study the differences in patient characteristics, consultation information, and consultation-to-death duration between inpatient cancer and non-cancer patients referred to palliative care consultation services.


Design: A retrospective analytic study


Materials and Methods: This study reviewed inpatient data and palliative care consultation data of all inpatients who received their first palliative care consultation between 1 August 2018 and 31 March 2019.


Results: Among 247 patients (183 in the cancer group and 64 in the non-cancer group), non-cancer patients were significantly older (72.6 ± 16.7 years versus 62.8 ± 15.5 years; p-value < 0.001), had poorer performance status (82.8% versus 68.3%; p-value 0.026), had higher median total hospital length of stay (40 days versus 24 days; p-value 0.001) and had higher median admission-to-consultation time (18 days versus 9 days; p-value 0.001) when compared with the cancer group. According to survival analysis, the difference in consultation-to-death duration among both groups had no statistical significance (p-value 0.188).


Conclusion: The non-cancer group received more delayed palliative care referrals compared with the cancer group, but the consultation-to-death duration of both groups had no significant differences.

Article Details

How to Cite
1.
Sungsittayakorn N, Pithayapibulpong T, Manasvanich B- ake. Comparison between Characteristics and Survival Outcomes of Cancer and Non-Cancer Inpatients Referred to Palliative Care Consultation Services. PCFM [internet]. 2021 Dec. 30 [cited 2025 Mar. 13];4(3):107-18. available from: https://so03.tci-thaijo.org/index.php/PCFM/article/view/252638
Section
Original article

References

1. เต็มศักดิ์ พึ่งรัศมี. การดูแลผู้ป่วยในระยะสุดท้าย. ใน: ประเสริฐ เลิศสงวนสินชัย, อิศรางค์ นุชประยูร, พรเลิศ ฉัตรแก้ว, ฉันชาย สิทธิพันธุ์, บรรณาธิการ. การดูแลผู้ป่วยในระยะสุดท้าย (End of life care: improving care of the dying). พิมพ์ครั้งที่ 9. กรุงเทพฯ: โรงพิมพ์อักษรสัมพันธ์; 2556.
2. อากาศ พัฒนเรืองไล, บรรณาธิการ. List disease of palliative care and functional unit. นนทบุรี: กรมการแพทย์; 2559.
3. Knaul F, Radbruch L, Connor S, Lima Ld, Arreola-Ornelas H, Carniado OM, et al. How many adults and children are in need of palliative care worldwide? In: Connor SR, editor. Global atlas of palliative care. 2nd ed. London: Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance (WHPCA); 2020.
4. ชฎาพร สีลา, สุกัญญา หังสพฤกษ์, สาคร ภูน้ำเย็น, จุฑาทิพย์ พิทักษ์, สายใจ วอนขอพร, ชาลีมาศ ตันสุเทพวีรวงศ์, บรรณาธิการ. คู่มือการดูแลผู้ป่วยระยะสุดท้ายแบบประคับประคองสำหรับทีมหมอครอบครัว (Guidelines of palliative care for family care team). กรุงเทพฯ: สำนักงานหลักประกันสุขภาพแห่งชาติ; 2558.
5. Cochran WG. Sampling techniques. 3rd ed. New York: John Wiley & Sons; 1977.
6. Lau F, Downing M, Lesperance M, Karlson N, Kuziemsky C, Yang J. Using the palliative performance scale to provide meaningful survival estimates. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2009;38(1):134-44.
7. Cantin B, Rothuisen LE, Buclin T, Pereira J, Mazzocato C. Referrals of cancer versus non-cancer patients to a palliative care consult team: do they differ? J Palliat Care. 2009;25(2):92-9.
8. Bostwick D, Wolf S, Samsa G, Bull J, Taylor DH, Johnson KS, et al. Comparing the palliative care needs of those with cancer to those with common non-cancer serious illness. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management. 2017;53(6):1079-84.e1.
9. Shih T-C, Chang H-T, Lin M-H, Chen C-K, Chen T-J, Hwang S-J. Differences in do-not-resuscitate orders, hospice care utilization, and late referral to hospice care between cancer and non-cancer decedents in a tertiary hospital in Taiwan between 2010 and 2015: a hospital-based observational study. BMC Palliat Care. 2018;17(1):18.
10. Fenstad ER, Shanafelt TD, Sloan JA, Novotny PJ, Durst LA, Frantz RP, et al. Physician attitudes toward palliative care for patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension: results of a cross-sectional survey. Pulmonary Circulation. 2014;4(3):504-10.
11. Ameena Mohammed A-A, Wafaa Mostafa A-E-G, Saleem Nawaf S, Sobhi Mostafa A. Knowledge and attitude of primary care physicians towards palliative care. Is it time for integration? Research Square [Preprint]. 2021.