Specialised palliative care in nursing homes – Retrospective analysis on the basis of claims data

Laura Rehner, Kilson Moon, Wolfgang Hoffmann and Neeltje van den Berg

PLOS ONE, 2025, vol. 20, issue 2, 1-13

Abstract: Background: The aim of palliative care is to improve the quality of life of patients with a life limiting illness. In Germany, nursing homes are increasingly the last residence and a common place of death for older people. This renders these institutions as places with a high need for palliative care. However, the frequency of specialised palliative care services in nursing homes in Germany is often low. Objectives: The aim of this study is 1) to analyse the types and frequencies of services provided by specialised ambulatory palliative care teams in nursing homes in the German federal state of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and 2) to examine whether the frequency of specialised palliative services in nursing homes is comparable to patients living in their private homes. Methods: The analysis was based on data of the association of statutory health insurance physicians Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania (Germany), data of the statutory health insurance BARMER, and population data. All patients who received specialised ambulatory palliative care in nursing homes in the years 2015–2017 were included in the analysis. For the comparison of the utilisation of specialised ambulatory palliative care in nursing homes with patients in private households, two comparable groups were created using claims, population data and life-year-mortality tables of the general population. It was assumed that people ≥80 years with a life expectancy of

Date: 2025
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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:plo:pone00:0319001

DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0319001

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