Study Shows Majority of People Prefer Palliative Care At Home

STOCKHOLM, Sweden—A study published by Sage Journals found that a majority of adults wish to receive end-of-life care at home, as well as to die at home rather than in a hospital or senior services home. Sage Journals is an online platform that hosts peer-reviewed journals published by SAGE Publishing.

Of a random sample of 3,750 16- to 90-year-old individuals, selected from the Swedish Population Register, a total of 1,752 individuals responded (48%). Of them, 59.6% preferred end-of-life care at home, and 54.2% preferred home death. 

The survey asked about preferences for where they would like their end-of-life care and death to take place, and how much they understood about palliative care. Using a statistical method, the researchers grouped people based on their understanding of palliative care. They then examined which personal characteristics were distinct for each group. Although home was the most preferred place for care and death, preferences differed based on their understanding of palliative care and their personal characteristics.

Latent Class Analysis identified five distinct subgroups: comprehensive understanding, some understanding, limited understanding, misunderstanding and no opinion. Comprehensive understanding, such as believing that palliative care supports families and alleviates suffering, was associated with preferences for home or hospice care. Misunderstanding, such as believing that palliative care hastens death, was associated with preferences for hospital or nursing home. The comprehensive understanding group included more women (57.6%), older (mean [SD] age: 57 [18] years), and university-educated individuals (48.2%).

People with a comprehensive understanding were more likely to be women, slightly older and with university education. A good understanding (e.g., recognising that palliative care reduces suffering and supports families) was linked to preferences for home or hospice care. Misunderstandings (e.g., thinking palliative care hastens death) were linked to preferring hospital or nursing home care.

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