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BMC Palliative Care
Published in: BMC Palliative Care 1/2014

Open Access 01-12-2014 | Research article

Choosing care homes as the least preferred place to die: a cross-national survey of public preferences in seven European countries

Authors: Natalia Calanzani, Katrien Moens, Joachim Cohen, Irene J Higginson, Richard Harding, Luc Deliens, Franco Toscani, Pedro L Ferreira, Claudia Bausewein, Barbara A Daveson, Marjolein Gysels, Lucas Ceulemans, Barbara Gomes

Published in: BMC Palliative Care | Issue 1/2014

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Abstract

Background

Care homes are increasingly becoming places where people spend the final stages of their lives and eventually die. This trend is expected to continue due to population ageing, yet little is known about public preferences regarding this setting. As part of a larger study examining preferences and priorities for end of life care, we investigated the extent to which care homes are chosen as the least preferred place of death, and the factors associated with this negative preference.

Methods

We conducted a cross-sectional telephone survey among 9,344 adults from random private households in England, Flanders, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Portugal and Spain. We asked participants where they would least prefer to die in a situation of serious illness with less than one year to live. Multivariate binary logistic regressions were used to identify factors associated with choosing care homes as the least preferred place of death in each country.

Results

Care homes were the most frequently mentioned least preferred place of death in the Netherlands (41.5%), Italy and Spain (both 36.7%) and the second most frequent in England (28.0%), Portugal (25.8%), Germany (23.7%) and Flanders (18.9%). Only two factors had a similar and significant effect on the least preferred place of death in more than one country. In Germany and the Netherlands those doing housework were less likely to choose care homes as their least preferred place (AOR 0.72; 95% CI:0.54-0.96 and AOR 0.68; 95% CI:0.52-0.90 respectively), while those born in the country where the survey took place were more likely to choose care homes (AOR 1.77; 95% CI:1.05-2.99 and AOR 1.74; 95% CI:1.03-2.95 respectively). Experiences of serious illness, death and dying were not associated with the preference.

Conclusions

Our results suggest it might be difficult to promote care homes as a good place to die. This is an urgent research area in order to meet needs and preferences of a growing number of older people with chronic, debilitating conditions across Europe. From a research perspective and in order to allow people to be cared for and die where they wish, our findings highlight the need to build more in depth evidence on reasons underlying this negative preference.
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Metadata
Title
Choosing care homes as the least preferred place to die: a cross-national survey of public preferences in seven European countries
Authors
Natalia Calanzani
Katrien Moens
Joachim Cohen
Irene J Higginson
Richard Harding
Luc Deliens
Franco Toscani
Pedro L Ferreira
Claudia Bausewein
Barbara A Daveson
Marjolein Gysels
Lucas Ceulemans
Barbara Gomes
Publication date
01-12-2014
Publisher
BioMed Central
Published in
BMC Palliative Care / Issue 1/2014
Electronic ISSN: 1472-684X
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1186/1472-684X-13-48

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