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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Dying from cancer the views of bereaved family and friends about the experiences of terminally ill patients | Author(s) | J M Addington-Hall, L D MacDonald, H R Anderson |
Journal title | Palliative Medicine, vol 5, 1991 |
Pages | pp 207-214 |
Keywords | Cancer ; Dying ; Terminal care ; Quality ; Informal care ; Social surveys ; London. |
Annotation | 80 carers of cancer patients in inner London who died between 1987 and 1989 were interviewed eight weeks after a cancer patient's death. Anorexia, breathlessness, pain, insomnia and depression were all experienced by more than half of patients in the last week of life. 20% of patients in pain were reported to have had no effective treatment. Carers of patients dying at home were significantly more likely to feel that the place of death had been right for the patient than carers of those dying in hospital (97% vs 53%). Half (36) of the carers were dissatisfied with hospital care; the main reason given was that the nurses were too busy to provide adequate care. Other major areas of dissatisfaction were the information received from the hospital (including timing of death); care provided by GPs; lack of continuity of care provided by district nurses who appeared to be rushed; the need for equipment to help with nursing the patient; and withholding of help at night. More attention should be paid to ensuring that good symptom control is achieved for all patients. More support from GPs, community nursing and social services is needed to enable patients to remain at home. (RH). |
Accession Number | CPA-010105008 A |
Classmark | CK: CX: LV: 59: P6: 3F: 82L * |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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