• Matthew P Grant, Damien McCarthy, Chris Kearney, Anna Collins, Vijaya Sundararajan, Joel J Rhee, PhilipJennifer A MJAMPalliative Nexus Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Melbourne, Australia.Department of Palliative Medicine, St Vincent's Hospital Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy,, and Jon D Emery.
• Palliative Nexus Research Group, Department of Medicine, University of Melbourne, 41 Victoria Parade, Fitzroy, 3065, Melbourne, Australia.
• Fam Pract. 2024 Nov 12.

ObjectivesGeneral practice plays a key role in end-of-life care, yet the extent of this remains largely unknown due to a lack of detailed clinical data. This study aims to describe the care provided by General Practitioners (GPs) for people with cancer in their last year of life.MethodsRetrospective cohort study using linked routine primary care and death certificate data in Victoria, Australia. Patients were included who died from cancer between 2008 and 2017.ResultsIn total 7025 cancer patients were included, mean age of 74.8 yrs. 95% of patients visited their GP in the last 6 months of life, with a median of 11 general practice contacts in this period. 72% of patients visited their GP in the second-last month prior to death, and 74% in the last month of life. The majority of patients (58%) were prescribed opioids, 19% anticipatory medications, 24% received a home visit, and a small proportion had imaging (6%) in the last month and pathology (6%) in the last fortnight. Patients in regional areas had more contact with general practices in the last year of life compared to metropolitan patients (median metropolitan = 16, inner regional = 25, and outer regional = 23, P < .001). The use of GP services did not differ by cancer type.ConclusionsGP's play a central role in end-of-life care provision for cancer patients, which intensifies in the last months of life. There is room for improvement, with a proportion having little or no engagement, and low rates of home visits and anticipatory medication prescribing.© The Author(s) 2024. Published by Oxford University Press.

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