Cuidados paliativos no domicílio

: poupança ou desperdício?

Abstract

Introduction: The direct costs of palliative care of cancer patients in their last month of life were compared between in a group treated in an NHS hospital and a group treated in the community.Methods: Two groups of terminally ill cancer patients were selected to be followed during their last month of life. The first was managed entirely within an NHS hospital, while the second was managed by a community based palliative care team. Data were gathered to compare costs in the two situations. Hospital costs were provided by the accounts department of the hospital, whereas the cost of the community based care were available in the team's own accounts records.Results: The total cost of care of patients managed within the hospital was about double of the cost of care in the community. There were also other significant differences between the two groups in respect of the number of hospitalizations and number of trips to the emergency department, both higher in the hospital group. Conclusion: Palliative care of cancer patients in their last month of life provided by a community based team, represents a significantly saving compared to care provided by an NHS hospital. Cost-benefit studies over longer periods of time, also taking account of quality of care, are warranted to guide healthcare decision makers

Date of Award	2012
Original language	Portuguese
Awarding Institution	Universidade Católica Portuguesa
Supervisor	José Pente (Supervisor) & Manuel Luís Capelas (Co-Supervisor)