Palliative care needs of cancer patients in U.S. nursing homes.

Background: Increasingly, nursing homes are the place of care for older Americans with cancer. Yet, few studies has characterized the quality of care for this growing population.

Objective: Characterize the scope and quality of cancer care in U.S. nursing homes.

Design: Secondary analysis of the national repository of the Minimum Data Set (MDS) SETTING AND SUBJECTS: Nursing home residents noted to have cancer diagnosis on the MDS.

Results: Of the 190,769 New Hampshire residents (8.8%) with a cancer diagnosis, 1 in 4 had weight loss (23.4%), received intravenous medications (27.7%), or used oxygen (25.4%). Overall, 45.3% had a do-not-resuscitate (DNR) order, with state variations ranging from 17.8% (New Jersey) to 70.5% (Wisconsin). More than 1 in 10 (12.0%) were defined as terminally ill, although only 29.3% of these received hospice services. Among patients with pain, half of those who survived to a second assessment had persistent, severe pain (51.3%), which also varied by state, ranging from 43.3% (Iowa) to 65.8% (Nevada). Active treatment was rare; less than 5% received chemotherapy or radiotherapy. However, 15.5% had parenteral and/or tube feedings for nutrition. Approximately, 1 in 10 New Hampshire residents had advanced cancer.

Conclusion: Our findings suggest important opportunities to improve the quality of cancer care for older adults.