INPATIENT MEDICAL CARE FOR CANCER PATIENTS PROVIDED IN MEDICAL INSTITUTIONS WITHIN THE LAST YEAR OF LIFE AS A MINIMAL NEED FOR PALLIATIVE CARE

The State Program on Health Care Development in the Russian Federation approved in 2012 includes the palliative medical care (PMC) subprogram. According to this subprogram a full infrastructure in the regions should be established to provide PMC to patients who need active symptomatic therapy and psycho-social support during the late stages of the life-threatening progressive diseases. The aim of the study was to investigate the scope and place of inpatient medical care provision in the last year of life to patients who died from cancer to determine the need for PMC based on the actual use of health services in the region. Patients who died from cancer at home in the last year of life received inpatient care at different levels of the health system (69.5 admissions per 100 patients per year). Admissions were made mainly to the municipal medical organizations (79.77±3.0% of all hospital admissions) and 20.23±3.0% to the regional oncology dispensary. 220 beds used for providing medical care to cancer patients in the last year of life can be considered as minimum need for PMC beds including those based in a specialist cancer hospital (33.54 beds) facing the current levels of cancer morbidity and mortality in the region as well as the effectiveness of the health system primarily the outpatient care. The number of beds used by cancer patients for PMC in the last year of life was 80.12% of the total number of beds for PMC provision calculated according to the standard recommended by the State Programme on Health Care Development in the Russian Federation until 2020. So we have to keep in mind that up to 80% of the total number of PMC beds established should be allocated for cancer patients and only 20% - for specialist PMC provision for patients with other progressive diseases.

palliative medical care, inpatient medical care for cancer patients, oncology, need for palliative care