Likelihood of death among hospital inpatients in New Zealand: prevalent cohort study

Gott, M., Broad, J., Zhang, X., Jarlbaek, L. and Clark, D. (2017) Likelihood of death among hospital inpatients in New Zealand: prevalent cohort study. BMJ Open, 7(12), e016880. (doi: 10.1136/bmjopen-2017-016880) (PMID:29217720) (PMCID:PMC5728296)

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Abstract

Objectives: (1) To establish the likelihood of dying within 12 months for a cohort of hospital inpatients in New Zealand (NZ) on a fixed census date; (2) to identify associations between likelihood of death and key sociodemographic, diagnostic and service-related factors and (3) to compare results with, and extend findings of, a Scottish study undertaken for the same time period and census date. National databases of hospitalisations and death registrations were used, linked by unique health identifier. Participants: 6074 patients stayed overnight in NZ hospitals on the census date (10 April 2013), 40.8% of whom were aged ≥65 years; 54.4% were women; 69.1% of patients were NZ European; 15.3% were Maori; 7.6% were Pacific; 6.1% were Asian and 1.9% were ‘other’. Setting: All NZ hospitals. Results: 14.5% patients (n=878) had died within 12 months: 1.6% by 7 days; 4.5% by 30 days; 8.0% by 3 months and 10.9% by 6 months. In logistic regression models, the strongest predictors of death within 12 months were: age ≥80 years (OR=5.52(95% CI 4.31 to 7.07)); a history of cancer (OR=4.20(3.53 to 4.98)); being Māori (OR=1.62(1.25 to 2.10)) and being admitted to a medical specialty, compared with a surgical specialty (OR=3.16(2.66 to 3.76)). Conclusion: While hospitals are an important site of end of life care in NZ, their role is less significant than in Scotland, where 30% of an inpatient cohort recruited using similar methods and undertaken on the same census date had died within 12 months. One reason for this finding may be the extended role of residential long-term care facilities in end of life care provision in NZ.

Item Type:Articles
Status:Published
Refereed:Yes
Glasgow Author(s) Enlighten ID:Clark, Professor David
Authors: Gott, M., Broad, J., Zhang, X., Jarlbaek, L., and Clark, D.
College/School:College of Social Sciences > School of Social & Environmental Sustainability
Journal Name:BMJ Open
Publisher:BMJ Publishing Group
ISSN:2044-6055
ISSN (Online):2044-6055
Published Online:06 December 2017
Copyright Holders:Copyright © 2017 The Authors
First Published:First published in BMJ Open 7(12): e016880
Publisher Policy:Reproduced under a Creative Commons License

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