Predictors of Place of Death for those in Receipt of Home-Based Palliative Care Services in Ontario, Canada

Many cancer patients die in institutional settings despite their preference to die at home. A longitudinal, prospective cohort study was conducted to comprehensively assess the determinants of home death for patients receiving home-based palliative care. Data collected from biweekly telephone interviews with caregivers (n=302) and program databases were entered into a multivariate logistic model. Patients with high nursing costs (odds ratio [OR]: 4.3; confidence interval [CI]: 1.8–10.2) and patients with high personal support worker costs (OR: 2.3; CI: 1.1–4.5) were more likely to die at home than those with low costs. Patients who lived alone were less likely to die at home than those who cohabitated (OR: 0.4; CI: 0.2–0.8), and those with a high propensity for a home-death preference were more likely to die at home than those with a low propensity (OR: 5.8; CI: 1.1–31.3). An understanding of the predictors of place of death may contribute to the development of effective interventions that support home death.

Predictors of Place of Death for those in Receipt of Home-Based Palliative Care Services in Ontario, Canada Journal Articles