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BMC Palliative Care
Published in: BMC Palliative Care 1/2020

01-12-2020 | Care | Research article

Quality indicators for the evaluation of end-of-life care in Germany – a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of statutory health insurance data

Authors: Katharina van Baal, Sophie Schrader, Nils Schneider, Birgitt Wiese, Jona Theodor Stahmeyer, Sveja Eberhard, Siegfried Geyer, Stephanie Stiel, Kambiz Afshar

Published in: BMC Palliative Care | Issue 1/2020

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Abstract

Background

The provision and quality of end-of-life care (EoLC) in Germany is inconsistent. Therefore, an evaluation of current EoLC based on quality indicators is needed. This study aims to evaluate EoLC in Germany on the basis of quality indicators pertaining to curative overtreatment, palliative undertreatment and delayed palliative care (PC). Results were compared with previous findings.

Methods

Data from a statutory health insurance provider (AOK Lower Saxony) pertaining to deceased members in the years 2016 and 2017 were used to evaluate EoLC. The main indicators were: chemotherapy for cancer patients in the last month of life, first-time percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) for patients with dementia in the last 3 months of life, number of hospitalisations and days spent in inpatient treatment in the last 6 months of life, and provision of generalist and specialist outpatient PC in the last year of life. Data were analysed descriptively.

Results

Data for 64,275 deceased members (54.3% female; 35.1% cancer patients) were analysed. With respect to curative overtreatment, 10.4% of the deceased with cancer underwent chemotherapy in the last month and 0.9% with dementia had a new PEG insertion in the last 3 months of life. The mean number of hospitalisations and inpatient treatment days per deceased member was 1.6 and 16.5, respectively, in the last 6 months of life. Concerning palliative undertreatment, generalist outpatient PC was provided for 28.0% and specialist outpatient PC was provided for 9.0% of the deceased. Regarding indicators for delayed PC, the median onset of generalist and specialist outpatient PC was 47.0 and 24.0 days before death, respectively.

Conclusion

Compared to data from 2010 to 2014, the data analysed in the present study suggest an ongoing curative overtreatment in terms of chemotherapy and hospitalisation, a reduction in new PEG insertions and an increase in specialist PC. The number of patients receiving generalist PC remained low, with delayed onset. Greater awareness of generalist PC and the early integration of PC are recommended.

Trial registration

The study was registered in the German Clinical Trials Register (DRKS00015108; 22 January 2019).
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Metadata
Title
Quality indicators for the evaluation of end-of-life care in Germany – a retrospective cross-sectional analysis of statutory health insurance data
Authors
Katharina van Baal
Sophie Schrader
Nils Schneider
Birgitt Wiese
Jona Theodor Stahmeyer
Sveja Eberhard
Siegfried Geyer
Stephanie Stiel
Kambiz Afshar
Publication date
01-12-2020
Publisher
BioMed Central
Keyword
Care
Published in
BMC Palliative Care / Issue 1/2020
Electronic ISSN: 1472-684X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/s12904-020-00679-x

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