Impact of the Covid-19 Pandemic on Palliative Care in Cancer Patients in Spain
Bibliographic Data
| ID | 15501751 |
|---|---|
| Authors | Cristina M Beltran-Aroca (0000-0003-4339-7952, University of Córdoba), Rafael Ruiz-Montero (0000-0002-9113-6493, Instituto Maimónides de Investigación Biomédica de Córdoba), Antonio Llergo-Muñoz (Hospital Universitario Reina Sofía), Leticia Rubio (0000-0002-8233-624X, Instituto de Investigación Biomédica de Málaga, corresponding author), Eloy Girela-López (0000-0001-9267-1394, University of Córdoba) |
| Year | 2021 |
| Volume | 18 |
| Issue | 22 |
| Pages | 11992-11992 |
| Publication date | 2021-11-15 |
| Peer Reviewed | Yes |
| Open Access | Yes |
| Type | ARTICLE |
| Venue | International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health (JOURNAL) |
| Journal identifiers | ISSN: 1661-7827 • E-ISSN: 1660-4601 |
| Publisher | Multidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute (PUBLISHER • CH) |
| DOI | 10.3390/ijerph182211992 |
| OpenAlex | W3211864390 |
| Language | EN |
| References cited | 5 |
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has severely affected healthcare organizations worldwide, and the provision of palliative care (PC) to cancer patients has been no exception. The aim of this paper was to analyse the levels of health care provided by the Clinical Management Unit for PC in Córdoba (Spain) for cancer patients. Method: a retrospective cohort study was conducted. It analyzed the PC internal management database including all cancer patients treated in the period of 2018–2021. Results: 1967 cases were studied. There was a drop in cancer cases (p = 0.008), deaths at the PC hospital (p < 0.001), and referrals from primary care (p < 0.001). However, there was a rise in highly complex clinical situations (p = 0.020) and in ECOG performance status scores of 3–4 (p < 0.001). The pandemic was not shown to be a risk factor for survival in the PC program (0.99 [0.82–1.20]; p = 0.931). However, being female (p = 0.005), being older and having a high Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score (p < 0.001) could be indicators of a longer stay. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge in the management of patients requiring PC and has highlighted the urgent needs of the healthcare system if it is to continue providing a level of care which meets the needs of patients and their families
Cancer · Cohort · Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19 · Disease · Family medicine · Health care · Palliative care · Pandemic · Retrospective cohort study · Cancer survivorship and care · COVID-19 and healthcare impacts · Medicine · Nursing · Palliative Care and End-of-Life Issues · Emergency Medicine · Internal Medicine
| Citation velocity | historical |
|---|---|
| Highly cited | No |