Palliative Care

Earlier specialist palliative care linked to less acute hospital use in prostate cancer

Nationwide Finnish cohort of men dying of prostate cancer (n=921) compared SPC contact >30 days before death versus ≤30 days/none. SPC contact >30 days was associated with fewer last-month secondary hospitalizations (21% vs 38%) and fewer readmissions. Those with earlier SPC used more SPC inpatient units and hospital-at-home services and had lower odds of ED contacts (OR 1.46 for late/none). Study is retrospective registry-based with no clinical severity or preference data, so associations may reflect selection bias. 1

MS decedents show similar palliative care use but rural disparities and later integration

Population-based Ontario study compared 1,975 MS decedents with other decedents; MS patients were younger (mean 68) and more often female. Overall palliative care receipt was similar (58.0% vs 56.9%), but MS decedents accessed palliative care earlier in the disease course. Rural residence increased odds of hospital death (OR 1.81) and decreased odds of receiving palliative care (OR 0.74). Receiving palliative care within five years reduced odds of hospital death (OR 0.47), but causality cannot be inferred from administrative data. 2

Suffering, language, and caring understanding in patients near suicide

Integrative review explores how embodied suffering, temporality, and language shape suicidal thoughts and care responses. Authors highlight that caring understanding and attention to dignity can enable patients to endure life-threatening suffering. The review notes limited evidence that narrating suffering alleviates suicidal intent and calls for further empirical study. Implications are conceptual and ethical; findings are not an evidence-based clinical intervention. 3