Are we evolving towards greater and earlier use of palliative home care support? A trend analysis using population-level data from 2010-2015

Abstract Context The need for increased use and earlier initiation of palliative home care has been advocated by several international organizations. Objectives To investigate time trends in the use and timing of initiating palliative home care support (PHCS). Methods Observational study using routinely collected population-level databases linked with health claims data for the entire population living at home that died from diseases indicative of palliative care needs in Belgium between 2010 and 2015 (n=230,704). Trends and trends by cause of death and age were measured through changes over time in prevalence of use of PHCS. Rates were standardized for age, sex and cause of death distribution in 2010. The median number of days before death when PHCS was initiated was calculated for each year. Results Uptake of PHCS increased from 31.7% to 34.9% between 2010 and 2015. Trends were similar in size for all groups, except for people who died from dementia (smallest increase with 1.9 percent-point). The timing of initiating PHCS advanced from 41 days to 46 days before death, with the smallest increase observed among people who died from dementia (+2.5 days). The proportion of people receiving PHCS only in the last week of life changed from 15.3% to 13.9%. Conclusion This population-level study found a slight trend towards more and earlier initiation of PHCS between 2010 and 2015. However, uptake of PHCS remained below estimated needs in the population and the proportion of people receiving PHCS very late in life remained stable over time.