title: Dying at home in Belgium: a descriptive GP interview study.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  While increasing attention is being paid to enabling terminal patients to remain at home until death, limited information is available on the circumstances in which people at home actually die. Therefore this study aims to describe patient characteristics, functional and cognitive status and physical and psychological symptom burden in the last three months of life among Belgian patients dying at home, according to their GPs.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 2005, a nationwide and retrospective interview study with GPs took place on people dying at home in Belgium as reported by Sentinel Network of GPs in Belgium. GPs registered all deaths (patients aged 1 year or more) weekly and were interviewed about all patients dying non-suddenly at home, using face-to-face structured interviews.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Interviews were obtained on 205 patients (90% response rate). Between the second and third month before death, 55% were fully invalid or limited in self-care. In the last week of life, almost all were fully invalid. Fifty four percent were unconscious at some point during the last week; 46% were fully conscious. Most frequently reported symptoms were lack of energy, lack of appetite and feeling drowsy. Conditions most difficult for GPs to manage were shortness of breath, lack of energy and pain.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Many people dying at home under the care of their GPs in Belgium function relatively well until the last week of life and cognitive status seems to be preserved until the end in many cases. However, symptoms which GPs find difficult to control still manifest in many patients in the final week of life.
authors.affiliation: Ghent University & Vrije Universiteit Brussel End-of-Life Care Research Group, Brussels, Belgium. kleemans@vub.ac.be
authors.forename: Kathleen
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Leemans
authors.forename: Lieve
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Van den Block
authors.forename: Johan
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Bilsen
authors.forename: Joachim
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Cohen
authors.forename: Nicole
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Boffin
authors.forename: Luc
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Deliens
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001530:Belgium; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D019058:Community Networks; D005260:Female; D006305:Health Status Indicators; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007407:Interviews as Topic; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010821:Physicians, Family / Q000523:psychology*; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D018571:Sentinel Surveillance; D012923:Social Class; D013727:Terminal Care