Equal palliative care for foreign-born patients: A national quality register study

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Research
• Health Services Research
• Sociomedical Sciences

Background:

• Investigating disparities in end-of-life care is crucial for equitable healthcare.
• Migrant populations may face unique challenges in accessing quality palliative services.
• Understanding variations in care based on country of birth is essential for improving healthcare outcomes.

Purpose of the Study:

• To examine differences in end-of-life care quality between Swedish-born and foreign-born patients.
• To utilize data from a national quality register for comprehensive analysis.
• To identify potential inequities in palliative care provision.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective, comparative register-based study design.
• Inclusion of 81,418 deceased patients from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care (2017-2018).
• Analysis of data comparing Swedish-born (72,012) and foreign-born (9,395) patients using statistical methods.

Main Results:

• No consistent pattern of end-of-life care quality differences was observed between Swedish-born and foreign-born patients.
• Significant variations in specific quality indicators were noted, without a uniform direction of advantage.
• Swedish-born patients had greater access to specialized palliative care than foreign-born patients.

Conclusions:

• Foreign-born patients experienced reduced access to specialized palliative care units and teams, despite a higher prevalence of cancer diagnoses.
• While no general disadvantage was found across all measured indicators, individualized care may be a factor.
• Enhanced access to specialized palliative care for all dying patients, irrespective of origin, could elevate overall end-of-life care quality.