OBJECTIVE: This study compared the quality of end-of-life care between veterans with and without schizophrenia who died of cancer in the northwestern United States. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, medical records of 60 veterans with schizophrenia and 196 with no major mental illness who died of cancer were compared on hospice enrollment, palliative and life-sustaining interventions, advance directives, and site of death. RESULTS: Among veterans with schizophrenia, 58% had an advance directive, 73% received an opiate before hospice enrollment, 63% had a physician order to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 55% were hospice enrolled, and 27% died in the hospital. Schizophrenia patients had longer hospice stays (107+/-144 versus 63+/-96 days, p=.05) and more physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (15% versus 5%, p=.006) compared with veterans without mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: On most measures, veterans with schizophrenia who died of cancer received comparable or better end-of-life care than veterans without mental illness.
OBJECTIVE: This study compared the quality of end-of-life care between veterans with and without schizophrenia who died of cancer in the northwestern United States. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, medical records of 60 veterans with schizophrenia and 196 with no major mental illness who died of cancer were compared on hospice enrollment, palliative and life-sustaining interventions, advance directives, and site of death. RESULTS: Among veterans with schizophrenia, 58% had an advance directive, 73% received an opiate before hospice enrollment, 63% had a physician order to forgo cardiopulmonary resuscitation, 55% were hospice enrolled, and 27% died in the hospital. Schizophreniapatients had longer hospice stays (107+/-144 versus 63+/-96 days, p=.05) and more physician orders for life-sustaining treatment (15% versus 5%, p=.006) compared with veterans without mental illness. CONCLUSIONS: On most measures, veterans with schizophrenia who died of cancer received comparable or better end-of-life care than veterans without mental illness.
Authors: Lara C Weinstein; Ana Stefancic; Amy T Cunningham; Katelyn E Hurley; Leopodo J Cabassa; Richard C Wender Journal: CA Cancer J Clin Date: 2015-12-10 Impact factor: 508.702
Authors: Paul R Duberstein; Michael Chen; Michael Hoerger; Ronald M Epstein; Laura M Perry; Sule Yilmaz; Fahad Saeed; Supriya G Mohile; Sally A Norton Journal: J Pain Symptom Manage Date: 2019-10-19 Impact factor: 3.612
Authors: Deborah Edwards; Sally Anstey; Michael Coffey; Paul Gill; Mala Mann; Alan Meudell; Ben Hannigan Journal: Palliat Med Date: 2021-09-03 Impact factor: 4.762