[Addiction problems in outpatient palliative care in Germany : A survey among palliative care teams].

Abstract

Background: In palliative care, the focus of treatment is on controlling the patient's symptoms. To achieve this, drugs with addictive potential are often used. This can lead to addiction problems, as palliative care patients are surviving longer these days than they did a decade ago.

Aims: This study investigates whether drug misuse and substance abuse are perceived as a problem in specialised outpatient palliative care teams.

Materials and methods: A cross-sectional questionnaire survey was conducted among all German specialised outpatient palliative care teams (n = 366). Data were analysed descriptively.

Results: A total of 129 palliative care teams (35.2%) participated in the survey. Of these, 49.6% stated that an estimated 1-5% of their patients suffer from medication dependency and 65.9% estimate that 1-5% of their patients have drug abuse issues. In all, 69.8% of palliative care teams do not screen their patients for the presence of addiction, while 3.1% do so regularly. If an addiction problem is present, 65.9% of the teams do not take any action.

Conclusion: According to the available data, addiction is not considered a problem in German palliative care. However, it should be noted that almost no palliative care team screens patients for the presence of addiction, although more than half of the teams estimate that at least some patients have an addiction problem. Further research is needed here, as new therapies may help palliative care patients to live longer. It would be important for the development of palliative care and the quality of life of those affected to evaluate how to protect patients from iatrogenically induced substance abuse.