Benefits, for patients with late stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, of being cared for in specialized palliative care compared to hospital. A nationwide register study

In early stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), dyspnea has been reported as the main symptom; but at the end of life, patients dying from COPD have a heavy symptom burden. Still, specialist palliative care is seldom offered to patients with COPD; they more often receive end of life care in hospitals. Furthermore, symptoms, symptom relief and care activities in the last week of life for COPD patients are rarely studied. The aim of this study was to compare patient and care characteristics in late stage COPD patients treated in specialized palliative care (SPC) versus hospital. Two nationwide registers were merged, the Swedish National Airway Register (SNAR) and the Swedish Register of Palliative Care (SRPC). Patients with COPD and