title: Hospital cancer deaths: late diagnosis and missed opportunity.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To establish factors that influence and contribute to the death of patients with cancer in acute hospitals in Northern Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  Retrospective clinical note review.
  
  
  METHODS
  16 acute hospitals, covering 5 Health and Social Care Trusts across Northern Ireland.
  
  
  METHODS
  793 adult patients with cancer who died in an acute hospital between July and December 2007 identified through the Northern Ireland Cancer Registry. Information was available for 695 (88%).
  
  
  RESULTS
  Thee main reasons for acute hospital deaths were uncovered. First, 26.3% of patients were diagnosed with cancer during their last hospital admission. These patients were significantly different from the rest of the sample in being older, not partnered, having more comorbidities and fewer hospital admissions in their last year of life (all p<0.001). Second, patients were very ill with 78.7% admitted as an emergency, requiring medical attention as a result of cancer-related (37.4%) and urgent physical symptoms (33.5%). Third, despite 38.3% of patients specifically requesting discharge to their usual residence, hospice or other hospital, this was not achieved. For 76.3%, this was owing to a deterioration in their medical condition. However for 12.4% there was a lack of a suitable bed, a care package was not in place for 4.9% and 3.0% lacked the required family support. In addition, preferred place of death was only recorded for 41% of patients.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Late diagnosis of cancer is a problem which requires further research. Training should be in place to ensure that a patient's preferred place of death is discussed, recorded and made part of routine end of life care. To achieve this, all medical staff should know when a patient is dying. Further research is required to establish what enables patients with cancer to die at home.
authors.affiliation: Northern Ireland Cancer Registry, Centre for Public Health, Queen's University Belfast, Belfast, UK.
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Blaney
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Crawford
authors.forename: T R
authors.initials: TR
authors.lastname: Elder
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Johnston
authors.forename: A T
authors.initials: AT
authors.lastname: Gavin
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003643:Death; D057210:Delayed Diagnosis / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D005260:Female; D006738:Hospices; D006761:Hospitals; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000175:diagnosis*; D009660:Northern Ireland; D010351:Patient Discharge; D057240:Patient Preference; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care