Observational studyBMC palliative care2024
Appropriate use of medication among home care adult cancer patients at end of life: a retrospective observational study.
Observational study in BMC palliative care, 2024. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers, 1 of them a synthesis that pooled it.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
2 citing papers in PubMed, 1 synthesis or guideline pooled it.
- Strategies for Implementing Palliative Care Services for Cancer Patients in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: A Systematic Review.Inquiry : a journal of medical care organization, provision and financingPooled it
- Real-world patterns of cardiovascular medication use in the final 28 days of life among patients with advanced cancer: a retrospective analysis by hospice care type.BMC palliative care · 2025Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundMedications are commonly used for symptom control in cancer patients at the end of life. This study aimed to evaluate medication utilization among home care palliative patients with cancer at the end of life and assess the appropriateness of these medications.
methodThis retrospective observational study included adult cancer patients who received home care in 2020. Medications taken during the last month of the patient's life were reviewed and classified into three major categories: potentially avoidable, defined as medications that usually have no place at the end of life because the time to benefit is shorter than life expectancy; medications of uncertain appropriateness, defined as medications that need case-by-case evaluation because they could have a role at the end of life; and potentially appropriate, defined as medications that provide symptomatic relief.
resultsIn our study, we enrolled 353 patients, and 2707 medications were analyzed for appropriateness. Among those, 1712 (63.2%) were classified as potentially appropriate, 755 (27.9%) as potentially avoidable, and 240 (8.9%) as medications with uncertain appropriateness. The most common potentially avoidable medications were medications for peptic ulcers and gastroesophageal reflux disease (30.5%), vitamins (14.6%), beta-blockers (9.8%), anticoagulants (7.9%), oral antidiabetics (5.4%) and insulin products (5.3%). Among the potentially appropriate medications, opioid analgesics were the most frequently utilized medications (19.5%), followed by laxatives (19%), nonopioid analgesics (14.4%), gamma-aminobutyric acid analog analgesics (7.7%) and systemic corticosteroids (6%).
conclusionIn home care cancer patients, approximately one-third of prescribed medications were considered potentially avoidable. Future measures to optimize medication use in this patient population are essential.
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