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End-of-life care for homeless people in shelter-based nursing care settings: a retrospective record study.
Dongen, S. van, Klop, H.T., Onwuteaka-Philipsen, B.D., Veer, A.J.E. de, Slockers, M.T., Laere, I.R. van, Heide, A. van der, Rietjens, J.A.C. End-of-life care for homeless people in shelter-based nursing care settings: a retrospective record study. Palliative Medicine: 2020, 34(10), p. 1374-1384.
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Background
Homeless people experience multiple health problems and early mortality. In the Netherlands, they can get shelterbased end-of-life care, but shelters are predominantly focused on temporary accommodation and recovery.
Aim
To examine the characteristics of homeless people who reside at the end-of-life in shelter-based nursing care settings and the challenges in the end-of-life care provided to them.
Design
A retrospective record study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
Setting/participants
Two Dutch shelter-based nursing care settings. We included 61 homeless patients who died between 2009 and 2016.
Results
Most patients had somatic (98%), psychiatric (84%) and addiction problems (90%). For 75% of the patients, the end of life was recognised and documented; this occurred 0–1253 days before death. For 26%, a palliative care team was consulted in the year before death. In the three months before death, 45% had at least three transitions, mainly to hospitals. Sixty-five percent of the patients died in the shelter, 27% in a hospital and 3% in a hospice. A quarter of all patients were known to have died alone. Documented care difficulties concerned continuity of care, social and environmental safety, patient–professional communication and medical-pharmacological alleviation of suffering.
Conclusions
End-of-life care for homeless persons residing in shelter-based nursing care settings is characterised and challenged by comorbidities, uncertain prognoses, complicated social circumstances and many transitions to other settings. Multilevel end-oflife care improvements, including increased interdisciplinary collaboration, are needed to reduce transitions and suffering of this vulnerable population at the end of life.
Homeless people experience multiple health problems and early mortality. In the Netherlands, they can get shelterbased end-of-life care, but shelters are predominantly focused on temporary accommodation and recovery.
Aim
To examine the characteristics of homeless people who reside at the end-of-life in shelter-based nursing care settings and the challenges in the end-of-life care provided to them.
Design
A retrospective record study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
Setting/participants
Two Dutch shelter-based nursing care settings. We included 61 homeless patients who died between 2009 and 2016.
Results
Most patients had somatic (98%), psychiatric (84%) and addiction problems (90%). For 75% of the patients, the end of life was recognised and documented; this occurred 0–1253 days before death. For 26%, a palliative care team was consulted in the year before death. In the three months before death, 45% had at least three transitions, mainly to hospitals. Sixty-five percent of the patients died in the shelter, 27% in a hospital and 3% in a hospice. A quarter of all patients were known to have died alone. Documented care difficulties concerned continuity of care, social and environmental safety, patient–professional communication and medical-pharmacological alleviation of suffering.
Conclusions
End-of-life care for homeless persons residing in shelter-based nursing care settings is characterised and challenged by comorbidities, uncertain prognoses, complicated social circumstances and many transitions to other settings. Multilevel end-oflife care improvements, including increased interdisciplinary collaboration, are needed to reduce transitions and suffering of this vulnerable population at the end of life.
Background
Homeless people experience multiple health problems and early mortality. In the Netherlands, they can get shelterbased end-of-life care, but shelters are predominantly focused on temporary accommodation and recovery.
Aim
To examine the characteristics of homeless people who reside at the end-of-life in shelter-based nursing care settings and the challenges in the end-of-life care provided to them.
Design
A retrospective record study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
Setting/participants
Two Dutch shelter-based nursing care settings. We included 61 homeless patients who died between 2009 and 2016.
Results
Most patients had somatic (98%), psychiatric (84%) and addiction problems (90%). For 75% of the patients, the end of life was recognised and documented; this occurred 0–1253 days before death. For 26%, a palliative care team was consulted in the year before death. In the three months before death, 45% had at least three transitions, mainly to hospitals. Sixty-five percent of the patients died in the shelter, 27% in a hospital and 3% in a hospice. A quarter of all patients were known to have died alone. Documented care difficulties concerned continuity of care, social and environmental safety, patient–professional communication and medical-pharmacological alleviation of suffering.
Conclusions
End-of-life care for homeless persons residing in shelter-based nursing care settings is characterised and challenged by comorbidities, uncertain prognoses, complicated social circumstances and many transitions to other settings. Multilevel end-oflife care improvements, including increased interdisciplinary collaboration, are needed to reduce transitions and suffering of this vulnerable population at the end of life.
Homeless people experience multiple health problems and early mortality. In the Netherlands, they can get shelterbased end-of-life care, but shelters are predominantly focused on temporary accommodation and recovery.
Aim
To examine the characteristics of homeless people who reside at the end-of-life in shelter-based nursing care settings and the challenges in the end-of-life care provided to them.
Design
A retrospective record study using both quantitative and qualitative analysis methods.
Setting/participants
Two Dutch shelter-based nursing care settings. We included 61 homeless patients who died between 2009 and 2016.
Results
Most patients had somatic (98%), psychiatric (84%) and addiction problems (90%). For 75% of the patients, the end of life was recognised and documented; this occurred 0–1253 days before death. For 26%, a palliative care team was consulted in the year before death. In the three months before death, 45% had at least three transitions, mainly to hospitals. Sixty-five percent of the patients died in the shelter, 27% in a hospital and 3% in a hospice. A quarter of all patients were known to have died alone. Documented care difficulties concerned continuity of care, social and environmental safety, patient–professional communication and medical-pharmacological alleviation of suffering.
Conclusions
End-of-life care for homeless persons residing in shelter-based nursing care settings is characterised and challenged by comorbidities, uncertain prognoses, complicated social circumstances and many transitions to other settings. Multilevel end-oflife care improvements, including increased interdisciplinary collaboration, are needed to reduce transitions and suffering of this vulnerable population at the end of life.