The use of transfusion in terminal cancer patients. Hospice versus conventional care setting.

Abstract

This study examines the usage of blood component products by terminal cancer patients in hospice and conventional care settings. Our results show that patients in conventional care settings are five times more likely to be transfused than are patients in hospital-based hospices and ten times more likely to be transfused than are patients in home-care hospices (p = 0.003). Since the outcome of care was comparable for the three types of care settings, the transfusion of blood component products to terminal cancer patients may be overused in conventional care settings.