Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jul 2019
Appropriate frameworks for economic evaluation of end of life care: A qualitative investigation with stakeholders.
The use of quality-adjusted life years rests on the assertion that the objective of the health care system is to improve health. ⋯ Managing symptoms and reducing anxiety were considered to be core objectives of end of life care and fit with the wider health service objective of improving/maximising health. A single objective across the entire health system ensures consistency in the way that resource allocation is informed across that entire system. However, the purpose of care at the end of life is more complex, encompassing diverse and patient-centred objectives which we have interpreted as enabling the patient to experience a good death.