CHEST Guidelines-Cultural-Differences-in-Palliative-Care-in-Patient

Cultural-Differences-in-Palliative-Care-in-Patient

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The correspondence, published in CHEST, analyzes a study by Lindell et al., which focuses on palliative care and death location in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). The letter congratulates the study's authors and discusses the cultural discrepancies observed in palliative care practices. Despite advancements in IPF treatments, IPF remains a lethal disease, complicating the timing for palliative care referral. Lindell's study found that in the U.S., most IPF patients died in hospitals (57%) or the ICU (33%), with only a minority at hospices.<br /><br />The authors of the correspondence gathered data from their own European IPF centers and conducted a poll among 51 IPF experts from 15 European countries at a 2014 meeting. Their findings diverged from Lindell's results, with 70% of experts stating their patients died in hospitals, only 8% in the ICU, and a notable number at home. They noted that the implementation of a palliative care program in one center decreased hospital deaths significantly to 28%. The authors speculated that cultural factors could heavily influence decision-making concerning palliation and the location of death for IPF patients.<br /><br />Differences in methodologies and timeframes between the studies are acknowledged, making direct comparison challenging. However, the European experience suggests that ICU or hospice deaths are rare, emphasizing the importance of considering cultural influences to optimize palliative care for IPF patients. The authors encourage further investigation into these cultural impacts, affirming the critical role they may play in shaping care practices. The correspondence specifies no financial conflicts of interest, underscoring its academic intent.

Keywords

palliative care

idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

IPF

death location

cultural discrepancies

hospital deaths

ICU

hospice

European centers

cultural influences