title: Cancer patients who prefer to die at home. Characterizations of municipalities with several or few occurrences of home deaths.
abstract: This article presents a descriptive study based on quantitative and qualitative methods. We wished to determine factors that promote or restrict home deaths. The Norwegian Central Bureau of Statistics released non-identifiable data for the time period 1990-1994 for all municipalities in Norway. Relevant health and social data from the Norwegian Social Science Data Service for the 24 municipalities, which had more than 20% or less than 10% of the cancer patients dying in their own homes, were analysed. Key persons in the home care teams were interviewed. There were few occurrences of home deaths in municipalities with a local hospital, good capacity in nursing homes or a larger percentage of one-person households. Indicators for several occurrences of home deaths were openness, good co-operation with physicians, and a stable, flexible staff. In addition, the patient had to have a strong desire to die at home. Finally, the employees had to be professionally confident and willing to go beyond the prescribed shift hours.
authors.affiliation: Research Department, Diakonhjemmets College, Oslo, Norway.
authors.forename: L W
authors.initials: LW
authors.lastname: Sørbye
mesh_terms: D002755:Choice Behavior; D003643:Death; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000401:mortality / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology*; D009664:Norway / Q000453:epidemiology; D015404:Nursing Methodology Research; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods / Q000523:psychology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data