Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
Research output: Contribution to Journal/Magazine › Journal article › peer-review
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TY - JOUR
T1 - The place of death of cancer patients: can qualitative data add to known factors?
AU - Thomas, C. J.
N1 - RAE_import_type : Journal article RAE_uoa_type : Social Work and Social Policy & Administration
PY - 2005/6
Y1 - 2005/6
N2 - Research on the distribution of cancer deaths by setting—hospital, hospice, home, other—is longstanding, but has been given fresh impetus in the UK by policy commitments to increase the proportion of deaths occurring in patients’ homes. Studies of factors associated with the location of cancer deaths fall into two main categories: geo-epidemiological interrogations of routinely collected death registration data, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies of terminally ill cancer patients. This paper summarises the findings of these studies and considers the place of death factors that are generated in semi-structured interviews with 15 palliative care service providers working in the Morecambe Bay area of north-west England. These qualitative data are found not only to confirm and considerably enrich understanding of known factors, but also to bring new factors into view. New factors can be grouped under the headings: service infrastructure, patient and carer attitudes, and cultures of practice. Such an approach provides useful information for policy makers and practitioners in palliative care.
AB - Research on the distribution of cancer deaths by setting—hospital, hospice, home, other—is longstanding, but has been given fresh impetus in the UK by policy commitments to increase the proportion of deaths occurring in patients’ homes. Studies of factors associated with the location of cancer deaths fall into two main categories: geo-epidemiological interrogations of routinely collected death registration data, and prospective and retrospective cohort studies of terminally ill cancer patients. This paper summarises the findings of these studies and considers the place of death factors that are generated in semi-structured interviews with 15 palliative care service providers working in the Morecambe Bay area of north-west England. These qualitative data are found not only to confirm and considerably enrich understanding of known factors, but also to bring new factors into view. New factors can be grouped under the headings: service infrastructure, patient and carer attitudes, and cultures of practice. Such an approach provides useful information for policy makers and practitioners in palliative care.
KW - Place of death
KW - Cancer
KW - Palliative care
KW - UK
U2 - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.10.020
DO - 10.1016/j.socscimed.2004.10.020
M3 - Journal article
VL - 60
SP - 2597
EP - 2607
JO - Social Science and Medicine
JF - Social Science and Medicine
SN - 0277-9536
IS - 11
ER -