Kaiser Permanente’s in-home palliative care programme includes an interdisciplinary team of providers who manage a patient’s symptoms and pain, provide emotional and spiritual support, and offer ongoing education about changes in the patient’s condition.
Results from the randomised controlled trial and a study comparing in-home palliative care to a control group show that average costs for palliative care patients with cancer were 35 percent lower than control group patients, 67 percent lower for palliative care patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and 52 percent lower for palliative care patients with congestive heart failure.
The results also show that 93 percent of palliative care patients were very satisfied with their care 90 days after enrolment, above the 81 percent figures within the control group. Improved satisfaction likely stemmed from more palliative patients dying at home than in the hospital, in accordance with their wishes – 71 percent of palliative care patients died at home, compared with 51 percent of usual care patients
Read the full report on the US Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality website.
Leave a Reply