Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34088732›Full record

ArticleCMAJ open

Intensity of outpatient physician care in the last year of life: a population-based retrospective descriptive study.

Michelle Howard, Abe Hafid, Sarina R Isenberg, Amy T Hsu, Mary Scott, Katrin Conen, Colleen Webber, Susan E Bronskill, James Downar, Peter Tanuseputro

Open access · diamondAbstract read
In one paragraph

Article in CMAJ open. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
1.6field-weighted citation impact, top 17% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed, 12 citations in OpenAlex.

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  10. Palliative care is increasing, but curative care is growing even faster in the last months of life.The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners · 2021
    Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors at 2 institutions in 1 country.

Michelle HowardDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont. mhoward@mcmaster.ca.
Abe HafidDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Sarina R IsenbergDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Amy T HsuDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Mary ScottDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Katrin ConenDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Colleen WebberDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Susan E BronskillDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
James DownarDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
Peter TanuseputroDepartment of Family Medicine (Howard, Hafid), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; Bruyère Research Institute (Isenberg, Hsu, Scott, Webber, Tanuseputro); Department of Medicine (Isenberg), University of Ottawa; Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (Hsu, Scott, Webber), Ottawa, Ont.; Department of Medicine (Conen), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ont.; ICES (Bronskill); Institute of Health Policy, Management and Evaluation (Bronskill), University of Toronto, Toronto, Ont.; Division of Palliative Care, Department of Medicine (Downar), University of Ottawa; Department of Medicine (Tanuseputro), University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ont.
University of Ottawa · CABruyère · CA

Funding

CIHR 159771
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundFor many patients, health care needs increase toward the end of life, but little is known about the extent of outpatient physician care during that time. The objective of this study was to describe the volume and mix of outpatient physician care over the last 12 months of life among patients dying with different end-of-life trajectories.

methodsWe conducted a retrospective descriptive study involving adults (aged ≥ 18 yr) who died in Ontario between 2013 and 2017, using linked provincial health administrative databases. Decedents were grouped into 5 mutually exclusive end-of-life trajectories (terminal illness, organ failure, frailty, sudden death and other). Over the last 12 months and 3 months of life, we examined the number of physician encounters, the number of unique physician specialties involved per patient and specialty of physician, the number of unique physicians involved per patient, the 5 most frequent types of specialties involved and the number of encounters that took place in the home; these patterns were examined by trajectory.

resultsDecedents (

interpretationMultiple physicians are involved in outpatient care in the last 12 months of life for all end-of-life trajectories, with family physicians as the predominant specialty. Those who plan health care models of the end of life should consider support for family physicians as coordinators of patient care.

Indexed as

Ambulatory CareDeathFrailtyPhysicians, FamilyTerminal CareAgedCause of DeathDeath, SuddenFemaleHumansMaleOntarioOutpatientsPractice Patterns, Physicians'Retrospective Studies

Identifiers

PMID34088732
PMCPMC8191591
OpenAlexW3164502134

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY-NC-ND
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.