An observational pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and quality of oncological home-hospitalization

Lieselot Cool, Jana Missiaen, Dominique Vandijck, Tessa Lefebvre, Michelle Lycke, Pieter Jan De Jonghe, Philippe Vergauwe, Veerle Foulon, Hans Pottel, Philip Debruyne, Koen Van Eygen*

*Corresponding author for this work

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

Abstract

Purpose: The objective of this pilot study was to evaluate the feasibility of oncological home-hospitalization and to compare its quality with standard ambulatory hospital care in terms of patient-reported quality of life and related endpoints by means of a set of validated patient-reported outcome measures (PROMs). Methods: An observational cohort study (clinicaltrials.gov identifier: NCT03073499) was conducted, allocating patients to (partial) home-hospitalization or standard ambulatory hospital care. PROMs were completed by both cohorts at start of treatment and eight weeks later. An additional study-specific questionnaire was presented to the intervention cohort at study-end assessing their satisfaction with and preferences for the provided homecare. Results: Thirty patients received home-hospitalization, corresponding to 116 interventions. For twenty-eight patients, this comprised all assessments required prior to administration of treatment, which resulted in a significant reduction of waiting time for treatment administration at the hospital in comparison with the control cohort (n = 24) (average reduction of 1:12 h, p < 0.001). Two patients received actual subcutaneous therapy at home. None of the PROM's evaluated revealed significant differences between both cohorts (all p > 0.05). 29/30 patients of the intervention cohort were satisfied with the provided homecare and preferred to have it continued, 22/25 patients declared to feel at home at least as safe as in the hospital. No serious safety concerns were reported. Conclusion: The results of this pilot study suggest that (partial) oncological home-hospitalization is feasible, safe and statistically not affecting patient-reported quality of life. Furthermore, this care model was acceptable and preferred by a substantial number of cancer patients.

Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)44-52
Number of pages9
JournalEuropean Journal of Oncology Nursing
Volume40
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Jun 2019
Externally publishedYes

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Oncology (nursing)

Keywords

  • Home-hospitalization
  • Oncology
  • Patient-satisfaction
  • Quality of care
  • Supportive care

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'An observational pilot study to evaluate the feasibility and quality of oncological home-hospitalization'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this