Quality outcomes for end-of-life care among people with haematological malignancies at a New Zealand cancer centre.

BACKGROUND

Little is known about the end-of-life (EOL) experience and specialist palliative care use patterns of patients with haematological malignancies (HMs) in New Zealand.

AIMS

This retrospective analysis sought to examine the quality of EOL care received by people with HMs under the care of Auckland District Health Board Cancer Centre's haematology service and compare it to international data where available.

METHODS

One hundred consecutive adult patients with HMs who died on or before 31 December 2019 were identified. We collected information on EOL care quality indicators, including anticancer treatment use and acute healthcare utilisation in the last 30 days of life, place of death and rate and timing of specialist palliative care input.

RESULTS

During the final 14 and 30 days of life, 15% and 27% of the patients received anticancer therapy respectively. Within 30 days of death, 22% had multiple hospitalisations and 25% had an intensive care unit admission. Death occurred in an acute setting for 42% of the patients. Prior contact with hospital and/or community (hospice) specialist palliative care service was noted in 80% of the patients, and 67% had a history of hospice enrolment. Among them, 15% and 28% started their enrolment in their last 3 and 7 days of life respectively.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the intensity of acute healthcare utilisation at the EOL and high rates of death in the acute setting in this population. The rate of specialist palliative care access was relatively high when compared with international experiences, with relatively fewer late referrals.