The place of death of patients with cancer in Kuwait

The place of death of patients with cancer in Kuwait

BMJ Support Palliat Care doi:10.1136/bmjspcare-2012-000433 Short report The place of death of patients with cancer in Kuwait Salem H Alshemmari1,2, Amani A Elbasmi3,4 and Samy A Alsirafy5 + Author Affiliations

1Department of Medicine, Faculty of Medicine, Kuwait University, Kuwait, Kuwait 2Department of Medical Oncology, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait, Kuwait 3Cancer Epidemiology and Registration Unit, Kuwait Cancer Control Center, Kuwait, Kuwait 4Department of Cancer Epidemiology and Biostatistics, National Cancer Institute, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt 5Palliative Medicine Unit, Kasr Al-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology & Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK), Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, Cairo, Egypt Correspondence to Dr Samy A Alsirafy, Palliative Medicine Unit, Kasr Al-Ainy Center of Clinical Oncology & Nuclear Medicine (NEMROCK), Kasr Al-Ainy School of Medicine, Cairo University, PO Box 99, Manial El-Roda, Cairo 11553, Egypt; alsirafy@kasralainy.edu.eg Abstract Background The place of death (PoD) has a significant effect on end-of-life care for patients dying of cancer. Little is known about the place of cancer deaths in our region.

Methods To identify the PoD of patients with cancer in Kuwait, we reviewed the death certificates submitted to the Kuwait Cancer Registry in 2009.

Results Of 611 cancer deaths, 603 (98.7%) died in hospitals and only 6 (1%) patients died at home. More than half (57.3%) of inhospital deaths were in the Kuwait Cancer Control Center. Among those for whom the exact PoD within the hospital was identified (484 patients), 116 (24%) patients died in intensive care units and 12 (2.5%) patients died in emergency rooms.

Conclusions This almost exclusive inhospital death of patients with cancer in Kuwait is the highest ever reported. Research is needed to identify the reasons behind this pattern of PoD and to explore interventions promoting out-of-hospital death among terminally ill cancer patients in Kuwait.

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