Medication utilization for symptom management by pediatric inpatients with cancer at end-of-life

Title

Medication utilization for symptom management by pediatric inpatients with cancer at end-of-life

Creator

Prozora S; Shabanova V; Massaro S; Davidoff A

Identifier

Publisher

Pediatric Blood and Cancer

Date

2019

Subject

adult; anxiety; benzodiazepine; Black person; cancer patient; child; childhood cancer; conference abstract; controlled study; death; decision making; do not resuscitate order; drug therapy; ethnicity; female; gender; hospital patient; hospitalization; human; length of stay; major clinical study; male; manager; medicaid; multicenter study; nausea; opiate; pain; patient history of bone marrow transplantation; pediatric patient; recipient; retrospective study; solid malignant neoplasm; tumor diagnosis; university hospital; young adult

Description

Background: Despite advances in pediatric oncology care, most children that die each year from cancer report significant suffering at end-of-life. Commonly reported symptoms include pain, anxiety, and nausea. More than half of pediatric cancer patients die in the hospital, yet little is known about medication use for symptom management during their terminal hospitalizations. Objective(s): To describe the utilization patterns of opiates, benzodiazepines, and gastrointestinal (GI) related medications for commonly reported symptoms by pediatric cancer inpatients during their last week of life. Design/Method: This retrospective study uses data from the Vizient clinical database/resource manager (CDB/RMTM), a compilation of clinical and resource use data from over 100 academic medical centers and their affiliates nationally. Pediatric patients (ages 0-21) with a diagnosis of malignancy who died during an inpatient hospitalization from 2010-2017 were included (n = 1,659). Patients admitted for less than 1 week were excluded. Individual medications were categorized as opiate, benzodiazepine, or GI-related. Exposure to each group was ascertained for all patients at two time points: one week and one day prior to death. Factors associated with the time of exposure were examined using generalized estimating equations. Results were summarized using adjusted odds ratios (aOR). Result(s): Opiate exposure increased from 76% one week prior to death to 82% one day prior (aOR 1.5; p<0.001). Similarly, use of benzodiazepines also increased from 53% to 66% (aOR 1.3; p = 0.024). Receipt of GI medications decreased from 92% to 89% (aOR 0.7; p = 0.001). Opiates and benzodiazepines were more likely to be administered to patients with solid tumor diagnosis (aOR 1.4, 1.2), history of bone marrow transplant (BMT) (aOR 1.3, 1.4), and longer length of stay (LOS), respectively. Benzodiazepine utilization was lower among blacks (aOR 0.6) and Medicaid recipients (aOR 0.8). GI medications were also more likely to be received by patientswith history ofBMT(aOR 1.8) and longer LOS; additionally, exposure was higher in those age 5-9 (aOR 1.9) and of Asian race (aOR 2.5). Reported aORs are significant at p<0.05. Gender, ethnicity, study year, location in ICU, and DNR status did not significantly affect exposure in any category. Conclusion(s): Not all patients are receiving medications typically used for symptom management in the week preceding death. Opiate and benzodiazepine exposure increased while GI medication use decreased. Earlier and more consistent intervention with these medications may reduce patient suffering. Furthermore, variability in utilization associated with patient characteristics suggests differences in symptomatology and provider/family decision-making warranting further study.

Rights

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Citation List Month

Oncology 2019 List

Collection

Citation

Prozora S; Shabanova V; Massaro S; Davidoff A, “Medication utilization for symptom management by pediatric inpatients with cancer at end-of-life,” Pediatric Palliative Care Library, accessed March 28, 2024, https://pedpalascnetlibrary.omeka.net/items/show/16960.