The Symptoms Prevalence, Medical Interventions, and Health Care Service Needs for Patients With End-Stage Renal Disease in a Renal Palliative Care Program.
A retrospective study was conducted to evaluate the symptoms prevalence and interventions initiated in the last 2 weeks of life, health care service utilization, and causes of death of patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD under a renal palliative care (RPC) program. A total of 335 RPC patients were included, of which 226 patients died during the study period. The 5 most prevalent symptoms were dyspnea (63.7%), fatigue (51.8%), edema (48.2%), pain (44.2%), and anorexia (38.1%); and the 5 most prevalent interventions initiated were oxygen (69.5%), parenteral infusion (67.3%), antibiotics (53.5%), bladder catheterization (44.7%), and analgesic (39.8%) in the last 2 weeks of life. Each patient received 3.5 ± 4.4 outpatient clinic visit, 3.4 ± 10.3 home care visits, and 3.1 ± 2.7 hospital admissions. Besides ESRD (51.8%), the most common causes of death were cardiovascular events (18.6%) and infection (17.2%).
Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, Caritas Medical Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR kwokol@ha.org.hk.
Annie O
AO
Kwok
Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, Caritas Medical Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Sze-Kit
SK
Yuen
Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, Caritas Medical Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
David S
DS
Yong
Department of Medicine & Geriatrics, Caritas Medical Centre, Kowloon, Hong Kong SAR.
Doris M
DM
Tse
D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D000855:Anorexia / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D002423:Cause of Death; D004417:Dyspnea / Q000209:etiology / Q000628:therapy; D004487:Edema / Q000209:etiology; D005221:Fatigue / Q000209:etiology; D005260:Female; D006296:Health Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006801:Humans; D007676:Kidney Failure, Chronic / Q000150:complications* / Q000401:mortality / Q000628:therapy*; D008297:Male; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D059408:Pain Management / Q000379:methods; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D011788:Quality of Life; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000379:methods* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data
cause of death; end of life; end-stage renal disease; health care utilization; palliative care; symptoms