Abstract
Background: The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has severely affected healthcare organizations worldwide, and the provision of palliative care (PC) to cancer patients has been no exception. The aim of this paper was to analyse the levels of health care provided by the Clinical Management Unit for PC in Córdoba (Spain) for cancer patients. Method: a retrospective cohort study was conducted. It analyzed the PC internal management database including all cancer patients treated in the period of 2018–2021. Results: 1967 cases were studied. There was a drop in cancer cases (p = 0.008), deaths at the PC hospital (p < 0.001), and referrals from primary care (p < 0.001). However, there was a rise in highly complex clinical situations (p = 0.020) and in ECOG performance status scores of 3–4 (p < 0.001). The pandemic was not shown to be a risk factor for survival in the PC program (0.99 [0.82–1.20]; p = 0.931). However, being female (p = 0.005), being older and having a high Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) score (p < 0.001) could be indicators of a longer stay. Conclusion: The COVID-19 pandemic has presented a challenge in the management of patients requiring PC and has highlighted the urgent needs of the healthcare system if it is to continue providing a level of care which meets the needs of patients and their families.
Highlights
Medical care is not solely aimed at curing a patient’s disease, and at alleviating illnesses [1]
The total number of patients treated by the Clinical Management Unit (CMU) for palliative care (PC) in Córdoba (Spain) in the period from January 2018 to May 2021 was 2834, of whom 69.4% (n = 1967) were cancer patients
The impact of the pandemic on the dynamics of primary care caused a significant decrease in the number of patients referred and a lower survival rate in the PC program compared to those referred from outpatient care
Summary
Medical care is not solely aimed at curing a patient’s disease, and at alleviating illnesses [1]. Since the mid-20th century, a branch of medicine has been developed which is aimed at reducing the suffering of those patients whose pathology has advanced to a stage where they no longer respond to treatment, and where the possibilities of improving their chances of survival are limited [3]. World Health Organization (WHO0, palliative care (PC) is “an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness”. The COVID-19 pandemic outbreak has severely affected healthcare organizations worldwide, and the provision of palliative care (PC) to cancer patients has been no exception. Method: a retrospective cohort study was conducted It analyzed the PC internal management database including all cancer patients treated in the period of 2018–2021.
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