Health-related quality of life in palliative care: determinants identified in a hospital-based observational study

BACKGROUND: Palliative care enhances the health-related quality of life of patients with advanced diseases. Therefore, it is essential to identify which factors contribute most to the perception of well-being to develop timely intervention strategies. The aim of this study was to examine factors related with health-related quality of life in adults with advanced disease of any etiology according NECPAL tool. METHODS: An observational cross-sectional study was conducted using a questionnaire based on the assessment of health-related quality of life with the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy – Palliative Care Spiritual Well-Being scale (FACIT-Sp). RESULTS: Forty-two patients with life-threatening illnesses of 71.8 ± 11.29 years, 64.3% diagnosed with oncological disease. The mean Barthel Index was 59.5 ± 24.34, and an estimated survival prognosis of 50–60 days based on the Palliative Performance Scale. The mean FACIT-Sp was 87.9 ± 22.1, the highest scores observed in physical well-being dimension. Patients who engaged in some degree of physical activity the year prior to the study reported higher scores (103.51 ± 15.35 vs. 83.73 ± 21.88 [p = 0.015]), also, physical activity remained the only independent predictor of better HRQoL (β = − 17.96; p = 0.030). Additionally, participants with a primary caregiver—59.4% of whom were female—had higher scores on FACIT-G subscale (64.09 ± 13.48 vs. 53.38 ± 18.38 [p = 0.05]). The FACIT-Sp scale and its subscales demonstrated high reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.889). CONCLUSIONS: Engaging in some degree of physical activity and maintaining functional performance may be associated with a better perception of health-related quality of life in palliative care patients.