Análisis de la actividad de un equipo de soporte de cuidados paliativos

Abstract

Objective To determine the profile of patients who were seen in a Palliative Care Unit and to analyse its clinical activity. Method Descriptive cross-sectional study of a Palliative Care Unit of the Hospital San Agustin (Linares, Jaen). We reviewed all medical records of palliative patients who had died from December 2008 until December 2009. Data collected were sociodemographic and clinical data, such as diagnosis, symptoms, analgesic treatment, number of visits and telephone consultations. The level of dependency was also assessed and the sex and family relationship of the primary caregiver was recorded. Results The mean age of patients was 71.7 ± 13.5 years. The most frequent diagnosis was a lung or gastrointestinal cancer. The primary caregiver was usually the daughter or the partner of the patient. The mean follow-up for our service was 58.7 days. The mean number of visits was 4.7 ± 4.8 and the mean number of telephone consultations was 4.0 ± 5.9. The most prevalent symptoms were pain (92.6%), constipation (57.9%) and dyspnea (26.2%). The most commonly used analgesic was fentanyl. Three out of four patients died at home, and 65% of them received sedation and analgesia in their last moments of life. Conclusions The profile of patients who were seen in our Palliative Care Unit is similar to that of other studies. We emphasize the longer follow-up, the highest number of visits and telephone consultations and an increased rate of terminal sedation.