title: Specialized palliative care services in Japan: a nationwide survey of resources and utilization by patients with cancer.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The aim of this study was to investigate the availability and utilization of specialized palliative care services among patients with cancer in Japan.
  
  
  METHODS
  We conducted a nationwide cross-sectional survey of 828 institutions predicted to provide specialized palliative care services.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Responses were received from 751 institutions (response rate, 91%); of these, 541 had specialized palliative care services. Adding the census data of palliative care units, the total estimated number of institutions with specialized palliative care services was 659. Of all the patients with cancer who died in the period from April 2009 to May 2010 in Japan, the estimated proportion who utilized specialized palliative care services was 24%.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Usage of specialized palliative care services in Japan have increased explosively in the past decade.
authors.affiliation: Division of Clinical Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan. kizawa-ysyk@umin.org
authors.forename: Yoshiyuki
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Kizawa
authors.forename: Tatsuya
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Morita
authors.forename: Jun
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hamano
authors.forename: Hiroka
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nagaoka
authors.forename: Mitsunori
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miyashita
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Tsuneto
mesh_terms: D003430:Cross-Sectional Studies; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000628:therapy*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires