Out-of-the-hospital care for terminal cancer patients. Clinical and organizational features. Our experience

Home care for terminal oncological patients is, in Italy and in many other highly developed countries, a rapidly expanding part of the health system. At the time of writing it would appear to be the most valid response to the mounting economic and social demands of the population. The present paper has two purposes: 1) to propose an integrated home care operating model for the cancer patient that comprises various operating stages: a) recruitment of patients on the basis of the seriousness of the cancer, life expectancy and socioeconomic conditions of the family; b) interdisciplinary planning of a personalized care project; c) implementation of an integrated care programme at the home of the patient; d) periodic control of the project team; e) periodic professional courses for health personnel; 2) to illustrate our specific clinical expertise in the sector, in 16 months of activity (October 94-February 96) during which we handled on a home basis 27 cancer patients at an advanced stage of the disease; specifically, we describe the main internal-oncological and palliative type problems encountered during the home care period; 3) finally, to highlight in terms of cost/benefit ratio the economic advantages of home compared to the traditional hospitalization care model.