The use of hospital beds for terminally ill cancer patients

A study to identify reasons for admitting terminally ill cancer patients to hospital is reported together with recommendations for the future. Forty per cent of patients were so seriously ill with pain, medical or nursing problems that their carers could not manage satisfactorily at home and hospitalisation was necessary and appropriate. In addition 27% of patients admitted had no family or carers to nurse them at home. In the remaining 33% of patients it may have been possible with planned admissions and better supportive communications to allow some patients to die at home. Analysis of the data would suggest that there are three principal reasons for continuing to provide hospital beds for the terminally ill cancer patient: 1. Special medical and nursing care. 2. To provide care for some patients with no family or friend carer support. 3. Teaching of management by senior staff. The unsatisfactory nature of terminally ill patients dying in the centre of acute wards together with inadequate facilities to interview relatives is noted. It is suggested that the provision of well planned hospital beds is more appropriate than providing remote hospice beds for the terminally ill cancer patient.