Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39531672›Full record

ArticleFamily practice2025

General practice utilisation by Australian cancer patients in the last year of life.

Matthew P Grant, Damien McCarthy, Chris Kearney, Anna Collins, Vijaya Sundararajan, Joel J Rhee, Jennifer A M Philip, Jon D Emery

Abstract read
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Article in Family practice, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 1 paper.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
1citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
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

1 citing paper in PubMed.

  1. 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

8 authors.

Matthew P GrantPalliative Nexus Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Melbourne, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-6878-9197
Damien McCarthyDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, Centre for Cancer Research, University of Melbourne, 780 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3010, Australia.
Chris KearneyDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, Centre for Cancer Research, University of Melbourne, 780 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3010, Australia.
Anna CollinsPalliative Nexus Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Melbourne, Australia.
Vijaya SundararajanLa Trobe University, Public Health, Science Drive, Melbourne, Victoria 3086, Australia.
Joel J RheeDiscipline of General Practice, School of Population Health, Faculty of Medicine and Health, UNSW Sydney, Botany Street, Kensington, NSW 2052, Australia.
Jennifer A M PhilipPalliative Nexus Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Melbourne, Australia.
Jon D EmeryDepartment of General Practice and Primary Care, Centre for Cancer Research, University of Melbourne, 780 Elizabeth St, Melbourne VIC 3010, Australia.ORCID 0000-0002-5274-6336

Funding

HCF Research FoundationNHMRC APP1195302RACGP Foundation
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

objectivesGeneral practice plays a key role in end-of-life care, yet the extent of this remains largely unknown due to a lack of detailed clinical data. This study aims to describe the care provided by General Practitioners (GPs) for people with cancer in their last year of life.

methodsRetrospective cohort study using linked routine primary care and death certificate data in Victoria, Australia. Patients were included who died from cancer between 2008 and 2017.

resultsIn total 7025 cancer patients were included, mean age of 74.8 yrs. 95% of patients visited their GP in the last 6 months of life, with a median of 11 general practice contacts in this period. 72% of patients visited their GP in the second-last month prior to death, and 74% in the last month of life. The majority of patients (58%) were prescribed opioids, 19% anticipatory medications, 24% received a home visit, and a small proportion had imaging (6%) in the last month and pathology (6%) in the last fortnight. Patients in regional areas had more contact with general practices in the last year of life compared to metropolitan patients (median metropolitan = 16, inner regional = 25, and outer regional = 23, P < .001). The use of GP services did not differ by cancer type.

conclusionsGP's play a central role in end-of-life care provision for cancer patients, which intensifies in the last months of life. There is room for improvement, with a proportion having little or no engagement, and low rates of home visits and anticipatory medication prescribing.

Indexed as

General PracticeNeoplasmsPatient Acceptance of Health CareTerminal CareAgedAged, 80 and overFemaleGeneral PractitionersHumansMaleMiddle AgedRetrospective StudiesVictoriacancergeneral practicehome visitspalliative careprimary careterminal care

Identifiers

PMID39531672
PMCPMC11809245

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
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.