Symptom and Medication Burden in Home-Based Palliative Care Patients

Area of Science:

• Geriatrics
• Palliative Care
• Pharmacology

Background:

• Home-based palliative care (HBPC) aims to enhance quality of life by managing complex symptoms.
• Despite HBPC benefits, patients frequently experience persistent symptom distress and high medication burden.

Purpose of the Study:

• To assess symptom prevalence and severity in HBPC patients.
• To quantify the medication burden and complexity in this population.
• To identify opportunities for medication deprescribing to improve patient care.

Main Methods:

• Retrospective analysis of 109 patients referred to an HBPC practice over two years.
• Data collection included patient demographics, symptom reports, medication lists, and performance status.
• Analysis focused on symptom burden, medication counts, complexity scores, and adverse drug reactions (ADRs).

Main Results:

• Patients reported an average of 4.1 symptoms, with pain and depression being most common.
• The average patient took 11.1 medications, with 24% taking 15 or more.
• Nearly half (49.5%) experienced Adverse Drug Reactions (ADRs), and 38.5% had deprescribing opportunities.

Conclusions:

• HBPC patients exhibit substantial symptom and medication burdens, impacting quality of life.
• Targeted interventions for symptom management and deprescribing are crucial for optimizing care and reducing polypharmacy.
• Reducing medication burden may lead to improved health outcomes for patients receiving home-based palliative care.