It is becoming more common for children with complex chronic conditions to die in their home than in a hospital, although black and Hispanic children with these conditions are less likely to die in their home, according to a study in the June 27 issue of JAMA, a theme issue on chronic diseases of children.
Chris Feudtner, M.D., Ph.D., M.P.H., of Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, presented the findings of the study at a JAMA media briefing in New York.
Many pediatric palliative care clinicians suggest that the preferred place of death, by the family, of an infant, child, or adolescent with a medically complex chronic condition is the home. Advances in home-based medical technology and changes in attitudes about pediatric palliative care and hospice services may be making this a more viable option, according to background information in the article.
Dr. Feudtner and colleagues conducted a study to determine if the proportion of complex chronic condition-related deaths occurring at home among children and adolescents increased between 1989 and 2003, and to assess if there were any race and ethnicity disparities in the location of death. The researchers analyzed data from the National Center for Health Statistics’ Multiple Cause of Death Files.
Among the 22.1 percent of deaths (198,160 of 896,509 total deaths) attributed to a complex chronic condition between 1989 and 2003, the percentage of deaths occurring at home increased significantly for all age groups (overall, from 10.1 percent in 1989 to 18.2 percent in 2003), but with larger increases for deaths beyond infancy. The odds of death occurring at home increased by 3.8 percent annually.
The percentage of individuals dying at home increased significantly over time for infants (4.9 percent home deaths in 1989 to 7.3 percent in 2003); 1 to 9-year-olds (17.9 percent to 30.7 percent), and 10 to 19-year-olds (18.4 percent to 32.2 percent). During this same period, there was a significant decline in the percentage of deaths occurring in the hospital for each of these three age categories.
The authors suggest that this gradual change in place of death may be occurring because of advances in medical technology in the home setting and broad shifts in attitudes and decision-making processes regarding palliative and end-of-life care in U.S. culture.
The child’s race, ethnicity, and region of home residence were significantly associated with death occurring at home. The odds of dying at home were reduced by 50 percent among black individuals, and reduced by 48 percent among Hispanic individuals, when compared with whites.
Concerning possible reasons for the observed racial and ethnic differences, “ … differential access to health care services or medical technology, divergent cultural attitudes or approaches to palliative and end-of-life care decision making, or differing levels of financial or other support within the patient’s or family’s social network may make dying at home more or less likely.”
“… as efforts to improve understanding of the sources and remedies of racial and ethnic disparities in pediatric end-of-life care are completed, medical and other concerned professionals need to ensure that all patients have access to necessary care and that all dialogue and interactions regarding decisions about care—whether curative, life-extending, or palliative—are built on mutual understanding, trust, and respect,” the authors conclude.
(JAMA. 2007;297:2725-2732. Available pre-embargo to the media at www.jamamedia.org)
Editor’s Note: The conduct of this study was supported in part by grants from the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality and the National Institute of Nursing Research of the National Institutes of Health. Please see the article for additional information, including other authors, author contributions and affiliations, financial disclosures, etc.
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