Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life
Introduction and objectives: A large portion of the European population prefers to die at home. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of keeping patients at home with the support of a community palliative care team (CPCT). Study design: Observational, retrospective cohort study without intervention. M...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2025-06-01
|
| Series: | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000384 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1849718024926396416 |
|---|---|
| author | Elisabete Costa Hugo Ribeiro Júlia Magalhães João Rocha-Neves Marília Dourado |
| author_facet | Elisabete Costa Hugo Ribeiro Júlia Magalhães João Rocha-Neves Marília Dourado |
| author_sort | Elisabete Costa |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Introduction and objectives: A large portion of the European population prefers to die at home. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of keeping patients at home with the support of a community palliative care team (CPCT). Study design: Observational, retrospective cohort study without intervention. Methods: The clinical records of patients followed during the last week of life by a CPCT in 2021 were evaluated. We performed a cost analysis and compared it with national and international tables for hospitalizations, emergency services and home hospitalization. Results: Costs varied according to the type of care for 84 patients, in a week, it costs 47,488.58 euros in a Palliative Care Unit (PCU) of the National Network for Integrated Continuous Care; 77 195.58 euros in a hospital PCU; and 187 530.885 euros in an acute care or Home Hospitalization Unit. For patients followed by this CPCT, the total cost for providing care to the studied patients was 17 872.499 euros. Furthermore, we observed an improvement in quality of life and symptom control in the transition of care to this CPCT. Conclusions: Patients with advanced and highly complex illnesses can be cared at home with the support of a CPCT like the one that participated in this study, which appears to improve quality of life and symptom control, in addition to ensuring lower costs for the healthcare system. The costs of other units were 3 to more than 10 times higher than the value presented by the CPCT. Aligned with the patient's will, there is a cost-effectiveness advantage in keeping high clinically complex patients at home. |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj-art-c02f5a169da24bb7b25c851945a8a7d9 |
| institution | DOAJ |
| issn | 2950-3078 |
| language | English |
| publishDate | 2025-06-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus |
| spelling | doaj-art-c02f5a169da24bb7b25c851945a8a7d92025-08-20T03:12:28ZengElsevierArchives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus2950-30782025-06-012210015610.1016/j.aggp.2025.100156Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of lifeElisabete Costa0Hugo Ribeiro1Júlia Magalhães2João Rocha-Neves3Marília Dourado4Community Palliative Care Support Team Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine of University of Coimbra, Coimbra, PortugalCommunity Palliative Care Support Team Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine of University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Coimbra, Portugal; Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Corresponding author at: R. Bartolomeu Dias 316, 4430-043 Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.Community Palliative Care Support Team Gaia, Vila Nova de Gaia, PortugalFaculty of Medicine of University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; Department of Biomedicine – Unit of Anatomy - Faculty of Medicine of University of Porto, Porto, Portugal; CINTESIS@Rise, Porto, PortugalFaculty of Medicine of University of Coimbra, Coimbra, Portugal; Centre for Innovative Biomedicine and Biotechnology, Coimbra, PortugalIntroduction and objectives: A large portion of the European population prefers to die at home. We evaluated the cost-effectiveness of keeping patients at home with the support of a community palliative care team (CPCT). Study design: Observational, retrospective cohort study without intervention. Methods: The clinical records of patients followed during the last week of life by a CPCT in 2021 were evaluated. We performed a cost analysis and compared it with national and international tables for hospitalizations, emergency services and home hospitalization. Results: Costs varied according to the type of care for 84 patients, in a week, it costs 47,488.58 euros in a Palliative Care Unit (PCU) of the National Network for Integrated Continuous Care; 77 195.58 euros in a hospital PCU; and 187 530.885 euros in an acute care or Home Hospitalization Unit. For patients followed by this CPCT, the total cost for providing care to the studied patients was 17 872.499 euros. Furthermore, we observed an improvement in quality of life and symptom control in the transition of care to this CPCT. Conclusions: Patients with advanced and highly complex illnesses can be cared at home with the support of a CPCT like the one that participated in this study, which appears to improve quality of life and symptom control, in addition to ensuring lower costs for the healthcare system. The costs of other units were 3 to more than 10 times higher than the value presented by the CPCT. Aligned with the patient's will, there is a cost-effectiveness advantage in keeping high clinically complex patients at home.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000384End-of-life careEfficiencyHealthcare costsHome careHealth policy |
| spellingShingle | Elisabete Costa Hugo Ribeiro Júlia Magalhães João Rocha-Neves Marília Dourado Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life Archives of Gerontology and Geriatrics Plus End-of-life care Efficiency Healthcare costs Home care Health policy |
| title | Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| title_full | Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| title_fullStr | Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| title_full_unstemmed | Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| title_short | Cost-efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| title_sort | cost efficiency assessment of a community palliative care team in the last week of life |
| topic | End-of-life care Efficiency Healthcare costs Home care Health policy |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2950307825000384 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT elisabetecosta costefficiencyassessmentofacommunitypalliativecareteaminthelastweekoflife AT hugoribeiro costefficiencyassessmentofacommunitypalliativecareteaminthelastweekoflife AT juliamagalhaes costefficiencyassessmentofacommunitypalliativecareteaminthelastweekoflife AT joaorochaneves costefficiencyassessmentofacommunitypalliativecareteaminthelastweekoflife AT mariliadourado costefficiencyassessmentofacommunitypalliativecareteaminthelastweekoflife |