Trends in Place of Death in Belgium: From Hospitals to Care Homes
Author Information
Author(s): Houttekier Dirk, Cohen Joachim, Surkyn Johan, Deliens Luc
Primary Institution: Vrije Universiteit Brussel
Hypothesis
How did place of death change between 1998 and 2007 taking into account various factors?
Conclusion
The study found that hospital deaths decreased while care home deaths increased, indicating a shift in end-of-life care preferences.
Supporting Evidence
- Hospital deaths decreased from 55.1% to 51.7% from 1998 to 2007.
- Care home deaths increased from 18.3% to 22.6% during the same period.
- The odds of dying in a care home versus a hospital increased steadily.
- Continuation of these trends could lead to more than double the number of care home deaths by 2040.
Takeaway
More people are dying in care homes instead of hospitals, which is what many patients prefer.
Methodology
Analysis of death certificates for individuals aged 1 year and older in Belgium from 1998 to 2007.
Potential Biases
Potential biases in the certification and coding of causes of death.
Limitations
Possible unreliability of death certificate data and missing values for some variables.
Participant Demographics
Individuals aged 1 year and older, with a focus on those with chronic life-limiting conditions.
Statistical Information
P-Value
p<0.001
Confidence Interval
95%CI:1.53-1.78
Statistical Significance
p<0.001
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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