How Many Cancer Patients Need Palliative Care? A Population-Based Study

Area of Science:

• Palliative Care Research
• Cancer Epidemiology
• Health Services Research

Background:

• Conventional estimation of cancer patients needing palliative care relies on cancer deaths from death certificates.
• This method may underestimate needs by excluding patients dying from non-cancer causes but with life-limiting conditions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To refine the assessment of cancer patients requiring palliative care.
• To integrate linked hospital and death data for a more accurate population estimate.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective study utilizing linked administrative data (hospital records and death data).
• Analysis of residents in the Emilia Romagna Region, Italy, who died between 2009 and 2017.
• Comparison of estimates based on primary cause of death versus broader data inclusion.

Main Results:

• Identified a potential palliative care population of 157,547 cancer patients.
• Using only cancer as the primary cause of death identified 129,212 patients.
• Additional hospital records identified 11.4% more patients; considering cancer as a secondary cause identified another 10.6%.

Conclusions:

• Relying solely on death certificates underestimates palliative care needs in cancer patients by approximately 22%.
• Integrated data sources provide a more comprehensive understanding of the population requiring palliative care.
• Healthcare services must adopt broader data strategies to accurately assess palliative care demands.