Víctor Rivas Jiménez (Spain)
University Hospital of Jerez de la Frontera Palliative Care UnitAuthor of 1 Presentation
ANALYSIS THROUGH QUALITY CRITERIA IN PALLIATIVE SEDATION: COMPARISON BETWEEN MEDICAL SPECIALTIES
Abstract
Background and Aims
Describing all the aspects that palliative sedation encompasses is essential for a correct approach to this process. Our objective is to analyze possible differences regarding quality criteria in palliative sedation between different units.
Methods
Data were collected from all deaths from the Palliative Care, Internal Medicine and Oncology units of our hospital during the second semester of 2019. The variables analyzed through the medical history were: age, gender, referring physician, sedation, initiation of sedation by referring or on-call doctor, symptom, patient capacity, survival after sedation, consent and drug. Chi square was performed between qualitative variables and Kruskal Wallis between qualitative/quantitative variables. SPSS 20.0 was used.
Results
More than 60% of the patients were over 75 years old; fifty-one percent were women. Sedation was indicated in 52%, with a significant difference between services, less frequently in Palliative (26%) compared to Internal Medicine (56%). There was no significant difference in survival time after sedation (p = 0.079). There was a significant difference in terms of the description of the refractory symptom, always reflected by Palliatives (100%) versus Oncology (30%) and Internal Medicine (25%). The same happened with the capacity, consent and drug used. There was no significant difference in the frequency of sedation by the doctor on call (p = 0.355).
Conclusions
The differences described point to the benefit of reinforcing training in all medical specialties that can initiate palliative sedation.