[Outpatient care for elderly cancer patients during the last year of life]

The scope of medical care provided for the 4th clinical group elderly cancer patients in the city outpatient units both in clinics and at home during the last year including the last month of life as well as the number of patients who died at home on average per district doctor per year were studied. As it turned out, the scope of outpatient care provided in the community (alongside with the low level of inpatient admissions) is not sufficient. More than half of all visits during the last year are made in the last month of patients' life. Due to great burden and special meaning of this period of disease the development of a special protocol "palliative care for cancer patients at the end of life" is required. Outpatient care takes an important place in palliative care for the elderly therefore while setting up a regional palliative care system it is advisable to pay attention not only to inpatient units establishment but also develop palliative care provision at the primary medical care level.