CN27 - Exploring the quality of dying and death of patients with cancer undergoing palliative care (PC)

Background

The aim was to explore the quality of dying and death of patients with cancer undergoing PC in a Palliative Care Unit in Athens, as perceived by bereaved caregivers.

Methods

Descriptive cross-sectional design. A convenience sample of 52 caregivers (RR: 66.7%) of patients with cancer who died, while receiving PC were recruited from March to June 2021. Study selection criteria: a) patients admitted at least one week before death and death in the period up to one year before data collection, b) caregivers determined by patients as their primary caregiver, with no known psychiatric disorder. Patients’ demographic, clinical characteristics and the last score of functional status assessed by Palliative Performance Scale-PPS, (scored 100-0%) were taken by files retrospectively. Caregivers who consented, filled the translated in Greek Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) questionnaire, which is consisted of 31 questions graded on a scale of 0 (terrible experience) to 10 (almost perfect experience), divided in 6 domains: Whole Person Concerns (WPC), Symptoms and Personal Care (SPC), Preparation for Death (PD) Moment of Death (MD), Family (F), Treatment Preferences (TP). Total score is a percent %, with higher rates indicating a better quality of death. The minimum level of statistical significance was set up to 95%.

Results

The majority of patients were women (69.2%), mean age 75.18 (± 12.25) years old, lung cancer diagnosis (28.8%) and poor mean PPS 26.92% (± 15.66). Caregivers were mainly women (67.3%), mean age 53.71 (± 13.01) years old. The mean Overall QODD score was 65.86 (±8.83), described as “neither good nor bad” experience. The MD domain had a high mean score (80.13 ± 14.1). The F and WPC had 73.83 ± 11.12 and 72.18 ± 8.83 respectively. Lower scores were in TP (68.91 ± 13.63) and PD (63.62 ± 10.15), with lowest in SPC (49.07 ± 15.39). Total QODD score was moderately positively correlated with the caregiver’s age (p=0.029, rho=0.385) and negatively correlated with the patient's PPS (rho = -0.41, p = 0.019).

Conclusions

Overall quality of dying and death of patients with cancer receiving PC was described as “moderate to good”. Despite the study limitations, results are in agreement with literature. Further study is needed to explore factors affecting good death.

Clinical trial identification

Editorial acknowledgement

Legal entity responsible for the study

The authors.

Funding

Has not received any funding.

Disclosure

All authors have declared no conflicts of interest.