United Kingdom leads in end-of-life care
United States places 9th
The United Kingdom leads the world in the quality of care it provides dying people, and it leaves many other developed nations behind, according to a new study.1
A long emphasis on developing national end-of-life strategies and a long history of developing hospices makes the first place ranking of the United Kingdom no surprise to many. The ranking was in the Quality of Death Index in a study published by The Economist Intelligence Unit.
The index scores countries across four categories: basic end-of-life health care environment, availability of end-of-life care, cost of end-of-life care, and quality of end-of-life care. The United States is ranks ninth on the list of 40 countries. It does not have an overall more favorable ranking principally because of the financial burden of end-of-life care, which reflects the high overall cost of U.S. health care, according to researchers. The United States ranks better in terms of infrastructure: at positions seven and eight for Quality and for Availability of End-of-Life Care, respectively.
5 key findings
Key findings included in the report are:
Combating perceptions of death and cultural taboos is crucial to improving hospice care.
Public debates about euthanasia and physician-assisted suicide might raise awareness, but they relate to only a tiny minority of deaths.
Drug availability is the most important practical issue.
State funding of end-of-life care is limited and often prioritizes conventional treatment.
More hospice care might mean less health spending.
To see a copy of the full report go to www.qualityofdeath.org.
Reference
1. The Economist Intelligence Unit. The quality of death: Ranking end-of-life care across the world. New York, NY. The Economist 2010. Accessed at www.qualityofdeath.org.
The United Kingdom leads the world in the quality of care it provides dying people, and it leaves many other developed nations behind, according to a new study.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
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