Estimation of the Palliative Care Needs and the Extent of Coverage by Specialized Outpatient Palliative Care Teams in Selected Regions of Westphalia-Lippe

Background Data to estimate the palliative care needs and its outpatient coverage are of public health interest. Methods The theoretical palliative care needs were determined on the basis of a population with advanced cancer in selected regions of Westphalia (Germany); information from evaluated death certificates issued in 2011 in the cities of Bochum (BO) and Muenster (MS) and the rural districts of Coesfeld (COE) and Borken (BOR) were used for the analysis. The number of patients thus assessed was linked to anonymized data from the regional palliative home care teams and an estimate was made on the extent of palliative care provision. Results A total of 12,424 death certificates from 2011 were evaluated. In 22.1 % (n = 2,751), palliative care needs before death can be assumed. In the same year, 2,396 patients were cared for by the regional palliative home care teams, with 1,288 patients dying of cancer. The coverage of outpatient palliative care was calculated as follows: BO 54.2 % (567/1,046), MS 60.6 % (385/635), COE 54.4 % (210/386), BOR 18.4 % (126/684). Conclusions One in 5 individuals has a need for palliative care before death. In statistical terms, more than 50 % of tumor -patients were cared for by regional palliative home care teams in the cities of Bochum and Muenster and the rural district of Coesfeld. By contrast, the degree of palliative care was less than 20 % in the rural district of Borken.