Telephone consultation in palliative care for cancer patients: 5 years of experience in The Netherlands.
OBJECTIVE
To analyze cancer patient-related consultations of a telephone helpdesk (TH) for palliative care over a period of 5 years in the region of Utrecht, The Netherlands.


METHODS
A descriptive analysis was performed of consultations over a period of 5 years (2001-2006). The discipline and location of requesting professionals, patient characteristics, reasons for calling, symptoms, palliative care problems and needs for support were registered.


RESULTS
A total of 1,794 consultations were analyzed. There was an increasing number of consultations during the study period. Of the patients, 51% were male and their median age was 65 years (range 0-104). Eighty-four percent were treated at home by their general practitioner. Two thirds of the patients had a life expectancy <4 weeks. Most questions referred to pain (49%), delirium (20%), nausea and vomiting (16%) and dyspnea (12%). The median number of symptoms was 1 (0-6). Of the questions, 54% were related to pharmacological problems, 19% to psychological problems and 21% to the organization of care. Of the requesting professionals, 17% asked for support for themselves. Of the consultations, 14% were related to end-of-life issues: palliative sedation (11%) and euthanasia (3%).


CONCLUSIONS
After more than 5 years, the 24-h telephone consultation service fulfills a need for general practitioners dealing with daily dilemmas in palliative care treatment for cancer patients at home during the last period of their life.
Teunissen
S C C M
SCCM
Department of Medical Oncology, F02.126, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Verhagen
E H
EH
Comprehensive Cancer Center Middle Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
Brink
M
M
Comprehensive Cancer Center Middle Netherlands, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
van der Linden
B A
BA
ZonMW, The Hague, The Netherlands.
Voest
E E
EE
Department of Medical Oncology, F02.126, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands.
de Graeff
A
A
Department of Medical Oncology, F02.126, University Medical Center Utrecht, P.O. Box 85500, 3508 GA, Utrecht, The Netherlands. a.degraeff@umcutrecht.nl.
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000451:nursing*; D009426:Netherlands / Q000453:epidemiology; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D017060:Patient Satisfaction / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D019114:Remote Consultation / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013689:Telephone