Kristof Faes1, Veerle De Frène2, Joachim Cohen3, Lieven Annemans2. 1. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. Electronic address: kristof.faes@ugent.be. 2. Department of Public Health, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium. 3. Department of Family Medicine & Chronic Care, End-of-Life Care Research Group, Vrije Universiteit Brussel (VUB) and Ghent University, Brussels, Belgium.
Abstract
CONTEXT: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in their final months of life potentially place a high burden on health care systems. Concrete knowledge about resources used and costs incurred by those patients at the end of life is crucial for policymakers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to describe the resources used and costs incurred by patients with COPD at the end of life. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EconLit. We screened 886 abstracts and subsequently reviewed 80 full-text articles. Inclusion criteria were at least one type of resource use and/or cost outcome reported in adults diagnosed with COPD during an end-of-life period. Subsequently, we performed quality appraisal consistent with the ISPOR checklist for retrospective database studies and accomplished comprehensive data extraction. RESULTS: Ten articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Three, five, and two studies described European, North American, and Asian health care settings, respectively. All studies had a retrospective design and were published between 2006 and 2015. We observed a very variable resource use, an increased number of hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, primary care consultations and medication prescriptions, as well as a lack of utilization of formal palliative care services in end-of-life COPD patients. Specific cost items were not well described. CONCLUSION: The high use of health care resources in COPD patients in the final months of life suggests a focus on prolonging life and a tendency toward aggressive care. Limiting potentially inappropriate care and improving the quality of end-of-life care in advanced COPD are, therefore, important public health challenges.
CONTEXT: Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) in their final months of life potentially place a high burden on health care systems. Concrete knowledge about resources used and costs incurred by those patients at the end of life is crucial for policymakers. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review was to describe the resources used and costs incurred by patients with COPD at the end of life. METHODS: We performed a comprehensive literature search in MEDLINE, Web of Science, and EconLit. We screened 886 abstracts and subsequently reviewed 80 full-text articles. Inclusion criteria were at least one type of resource use and/or cost outcome reported in adults diagnosed with COPD during an end-of-life period. Subsequently, we performed quality appraisal consistent with the ISPOR checklist for retrospective database studies and accomplished comprehensive data extraction. RESULTS: Ten articles fulfilled the inclusion criteria. Three, five, and two studies described European, North American, and Asian health care settings, respectively. All studies had a retrospective design and were published between 2006 and 2015. We observed a very variable resource use, an increased number of hospitalizations, intensive care unit stays, primary care consultations and medication prescriptions, as well as a lack of utilization of formal palliative care services in end-of-life COPDpatients. Specific cost items were not well described. CONCLUSION: The high use of health care resources in COPDpatients in the final months of life suggests a focus on prolonging life and a tendency toward aggressive care. Limiting potentially inappropriate care and improving the quality of end-of-life care in advanced COPD are, therefore, important public health challenges.
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