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Place of death among older people in Finland and Norway
- Source :
- Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
- Publication Year :
- 2020
- Publisher :
- SAGE Publications, 2020.
-
Abstract
- Aims: This study aimed to find out how place of death varied between countries with different health and social service systems. This was done by investigating typical groups (concerning age, sex and end-of-life trajectory) of older people dying in different places in Finland and Norway. Methods: The data were derived from national registers. All those who died in Finland or Norway at the age of ⩾70 years in 2011 were included. Place of death was analysed by age, sex, end-of-life trajectory and degree of urbanisation of the municipality of residence. Two-proportion z-tests were performed to test the differences between the countries. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed separately for both countries to find the factors associated with place of death. Results: The data consisted of 68,433 individuals. Deaths occurred most commonly in health centres in Finland and in nursing homes in Norway. Deaths in hospital were more common in Norway than they were in Finland. In both countries, deaths in hospital were more common among younger people and men. Deaths in nursing homes were commonest among frail older people, while most of those who had a terminal illness died in health centres in Finland and in nursing homes in Norway. Conclusions: Both Finland and Norway have a relatively low share of hospital deaths among older people. Both countries have developed alternatives to end-of-life care in hospital, allowing for spending the last days or weeks of life closer to home. In Finland, health centres play a key role in end-of-life care, while in Norway nursing homes serve this role. Aims: This study aimed to find out how place of death varied between countries with different health and social service systems. This was done by investigating typical groups (concerning age, sex and end-of-life trajectory) of older people dying in different places in Finland and Norway. Methods: The data were derived from national registers. All those who died in Finland or Norway at the age of ⩾70 years in 2011 were included. Place of death was analysed by age, sex, end-of-life trajectory and degree of urbanisation of the municipality of residence. Two-proportion z-tests were performed to test the differences between the countries. Multinomial logistic regression analyses were performed separately for both countries to find the factors associated with place of death. Results: The data consisted of 68,433 individuals. Deaths occurred most commonly in health centres in Finland and in nursing homes in Norway. Deaths in hospital were more common in Norway than they were in Finland. In both countries, deaths in hospital were more common among younger people and men. Deaths in nursing homes were commonest among frail older people, while most of those who had a terminal illness died in health centres in Finland and in nursing homes in Norway. Conclusions: Both Finland and Norway have a relatively low share of hospital deaths among older people. Both countries have developed alternatives to end-of-life care in hospital, allowing for spending the last days or weeks of life closer to home. In Finland, health centres play a key role in end-of-life care, while in Norway nursing homes serve this role.
- Subjects :
- Male
register study
pitkäaikaishoito
older people
0302 clinical medicine
Medicine
Hospital Mortality
030212 general & internal medicine
hospital
Finland
Multinomial logistic regression
sairaala
Aged, 80 and over
Terminal Care
Social work
Norway
IN-PLACE
General Medicine
Death
Kuolinpaikka
END
long-term care
Female
HEALTH
0305 other medical science
TRANSITIONS
03 medical and health sciences
Place of death
end-of-life trajectory
030502 gerontology
Urbanization
Suomi
Humans
Mortality and Causes of Death
Aged
business.industry
Public Health, Environmental and Occupational Health
CARE
Rekisteritutkimus
norja
Nursing Homes
LIFE
3141 Health care science
Long-term care
Ikääntyneet
Residence
TRAJECTORIES
Older people
business
Nursing homes
Demography
Subjects
Details
- ISSN :
- 16511905 and 14034948
- Volume :
- 48
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Scandinavian Journal of Public Health
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....91a19ce791d2bb798a6645570b8c86ea
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1177/1403494820944073