Dying At Home: Terminally Ill Patients Go More Peacefully

Terminally ill patients who die at home may go more peacefully than those who take their last breath in the hospital, according to recent findings published in the journal BMC Medicine.

"This is the most comprehensive population-based study to date of factors and outcomes associated with dying at home compared to hospital. We know that many patients fear being at home believing they place an awful burden on their family. However, we found that grief was actually less intense for relatives of people who died at home," said study author Barbara Gomes in an interview with BioMedCentral.

In this recent study, researchers analyzed the records of four health districts in London covering 1.3 million residents. They asked 352 family members of deceased patients from London questions regarding the patients' pain and peace during their last week of living. From the sample, 177 patients had died at a hospital, while 175 patients had passed away at home. Researchers at the Cicely Saunders Institute at King's College London examined certain factors, including a patient's personal preference, the aid of home palliative care and family member's preference, as well as community nursing.

They found that the aforementioned were crucial in determining if a patient experienced a peaceful end-of-life experience--with 91 percent of home deaths including them. Furthermore, another important factor was if a family member was present toward the end of life.

"Our findings prompt policymakers and clinicians to improve access to comprehensive home care packages including specialist palliative care services and 24/7 community nursing. This is important because, in some regions, the workforce providing essential elements of this care package is being reduced," concluded Gomes.

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