Does ethnicity affect where people with cancer die? A population-based 10 year study.
<h4>Background</h4>Ageing is a growing issue for people from UK black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. The health experiences of these groups are recognised as a 'tracer' to measure success in end of life patient-preferred outcomes that includes place of death (PoD).&l...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Public Library of Science (PLoS)
2014-01-01
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| Series: | PLoS ONE |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0095052 |
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| Summary: | <h4>Background</h4>Ageing is a growing issue for people from UK black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) groups. The health experiences of these groups are recognised as a 'tracer' to measure success in end of life patient-preferred outcomes that includes place of death (PoD).<h4>Aim</h4>To examine patterns in PoD among BAME groups who died of cancer.<h4>Material and methods</h4>Mortality data for 93,375 cancer deaths of those aged ≥65 years in London from 2001-2010 were obtained from the UK Office for National Statistics (ONS). Decedent's country of birth was used as a proxy for ethnicity. Linear regression examined trends in place of death across the eight ethnic groups and Poisson regression examined the association between country of birth and place of death.<h4>Results</h4>76% decedents were born in the UK, followed by Ireland (5.9%), Europe(5.4%) and Caribbean(4.3%). Most deaths(52.5%) occurred in hospital, followed by home(18.7%). During the study period, deaths in hospital declined with an increase in home deaths; trend for time analysis for those born in UK(0.50%/yr[0.36-0.64%]p<0.001), Europe (1.00%/yr[0.64-1.30%]p<0.001), Asia(1.09%/yr[0.94-1.20%]p<0.001) and Caribbean(1.03%/yr[0.72-1.30%]p<0.001). However, time consistent gaps across the geographical groups remained. Following adjustment hospital deaths were more likely for those born in Asia(Proportion ratio(PR)1.12[95%CI1.08-1.15]p<0.001) and Africa(PR 1.11[95%CI1.07-1.16]p<0.001). Hospice deaths were less likely for those born in Asia(PR 0.73 [0.68-0.80] p<0.001), Africa (PR 0.83[95%CI0.74-0.93]p<0.001), and 'other' geographical regions (PR0.90[95% 0.82-0.98]p<0.001). Home deaths were less likely for those born in the Caribbean(PR0.91[95%CI 0.85-0.98]p<0.001).<h4>Conclusions</h4>Location of death varies by country of birth. BAME groups are more likely to die in a hospital and less likely to die at home or in a hospice. Further investigation is needed to determine whether these differences result from patient-centred preferences, or other environment or service-related factors. This knowledge will enable strategies to be developed to improve access to relevant palliative care and related services, where necessary. |
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| ISSN: | 1932-6203 |