End-of-life symptoms and polypharmacy in lung and other cancer patients receiving palliative care in Turkey.

Abstract

Introduction: Patients diagnosed with cancer are often prescribed a wide range of medicines. In this study, it was aimed at examining the end-of-life symptoms and polypharmacy status of patients hospitalized in the palliative care unit with the diagnosis of lung cancer and other cancers.

Methods: The data for the retrospective-descriptive study were obtained from hospital records and an automation system. The sample of the study included the data of all patients (n = 201) who were hospitalized in the palliative care unit between 2016-2021 in Turkey.

Results: The most common symptoms of end-of-life patients were dyspnea (85.1%) and pain (67.7%). The mean number of medications used by the patients on the day of death was 10.89 ± 3.16, it was 12.50 ± 3.11 on the third day before death, 13.24 ± 3.07 on the 6th day before death, 13.50 ± 3.03 on the 9th day before death. There was a statistically significant difference between the mean number of medications used by the patients according to the presence of dyspnea on the day of death (t = 1.997; p = .047) and pain on the day of death (t = 3.781; p = .001). There was a statistically significant difference between the mean number of medications used by the patients according to the presence of pain on the sixth day before death (t = 2.613; p = .010) and the ninth day before death (t = 2.940; p = .004).

Conclusion: The number of medications used by the patients decreased from the 9th day before death to the day of death and their polypharmacy status continued.