The Raval Nord Study: Descriptive Analysis of Survival Rates During 10 Years of Home Care

Abstract

This longitudinal study describes the urban population of chronic patients treated at home and analyzes survival rates of the first 10 years (1992 to 2002) of a primary health care team. Participants included all of the 1,357 home care chronically ill patients registered since the beginning of a home care program (May 1994 to December 2002). The average age was 82 years, 68% were female, 76% lacked elevators, 18% cited loneliness, 11% were totally dependent, and 20% suffered severe cognitive alterations. Cox’s proportional risk method and survival probability curves by the Kaplan-Meier method were used. Factors linked to lower survival (p < .001) included being male (relative risk, RR = 1.67), existence of terminally ill patients because of neoplastic pathologies (RR = 7.72), living accompanied by other people (RR = 2.39), deteriorated cognitive function status (slight moderate, RR = 1.74; severe, RR = 2.71), and worsening degree of autonomy (partially dependent, RR = 1.63; totally dependent, RR = 3.54).