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Full-Text Articles in Community Psychology
Predictors Of On-Treatment Mortality Of Patients Undergoing Palliative Radiation Therapy: Improving The Quality Of End-Of-Life Cancer Care, Matthew Stephen Ning
Predictors Of On-Treatment Mortality Of Patients Undergoing Palliative Radiation Therapy: Improving The Quality Of End-Of-Life Cancer Care, Matthew Stephen Ning
Dissertations & Theses (Open Access)
PURPOSE: Excessive medical treatment at end-of-life is an indicator of poor quality care. While radiation therapy (RT) is effective for palliation, some patients die shortly after or even during treatment. Any treatment that requires terminal patients to spend significant time in the hospital setting contradicts palliative goals. This study investigates patterns of end-of-life RT to inform quality improvement initiatives. METHODS: All patients who died within 6 months of starting RT at a single large academic cancer center between 2015 through 2018 were identified through our institutional databases on an Institutional Review Board-approved protocol. Clinical factors including age, treatment service, number …