Factors associated with access to palliative home care in palliative patients at Lampang Hospital

Existing literature has shown the importance of palliative home care to improve quality of life among end-stage patients. However, access to palliative home care remains an issue. This study explores factors associated with successful delivery of palliative home care in palliative patients.

A retrospective study was conducted among patients who were referred to the palliative care team for consultation at Lampang Hospital from April 2020 to March 2021. Data from electronic medical records, including successful delivery of palliative home care, age, gender, public health insurance, admission department, primary disease (cancer, non-cancer), presenting symptoms (pain, dyspnea), palliative performance scale score and morphine use, were retrieved. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to explore the association, adjusting for covariates.

A total of 370 patients were identified, with 88 (23.8%) receiving palliative home care. Results showed that being female, having low palliative performance scale score, morphine use, and having Civil Servant Medical Benefit Scheme insurance are associated with a higher chance of having access to palliative home care, compared with their counterparts.

Results of this study pointed out health disparities among palliative patients who required palliative home care. This information can be in part used to redesign palliative home care system with the aim of improving access to care and patients' and caregivers' quality of life as a consequence.