RESUMO
OBJETIVO: El programa Saiatu ofrece un conjunto de servicios de ayuda a domicilio de carácter social para mejorar la atención a las personas con enfermedad avanzada/terminal y sus familias. Se presentan los resultados de un estudio realizado tras 17 meses de actividad para conocer las características de los pacientes atendidos, el lugar de fallecimiento y datos de actividad de Saiatu. MÉTODO: Estudio observacional transversal descriptivo, realizado en la provincia de Guipúzcoa. Población de estudio: pacientes atendidos por Saiatu entre el 1 de febrero de 2011 y el 30 de junio de 2012. Criterios de inclusión: pacientes fallecidos a 30 de junio de 2012. Muestra: se incluye toda la población (70 pacientes). Variables de estudio: datos de identificación de paciente y cuidador principal, datos sanitarios, datos al ingreso y al alta de Saiatu. RESULTADOS: Setenta pacientes (61,4% hombres y 38,6% mujeres) con una edad media de 76,79 años. En el 62,9% el cónyuge es el cuidador principal. Un 60% de familias no disponen de ayuda pública o privada. El nivel de dependencia es severa/moderada en el 75,7% de los pacientes. Un 88,6% fueron oncológicos y un 11,4% no oncológicos, remitidos sobre todo desde hospitalización a domicilio (37,1%). El 71,4% fallecieron en su domicilio, de los que un 92% deseaban fallecer en su casa. De los fallecidos en el hospital, un 65% deseaba fallecer en domicilio. Globalmente el 79% falleció en el lugar que deseaba. La edad, la disfagia y las necesidades emocionales se asocian a muerte en domicilio, mientras que la anorexia lo hace con muerte en hospital
BACKGROUND: Saiatu is a programme that offers a specially trained in-home social welfare assistance to improve the delivery of care for people with advanced and terminal illness, and their families. The following is a presentation of a study carried out following 17 months of work, showing the characteristics of those patients cared for, the place of death, and facts relating to Saiatu's daily activity. METHOD: A cross-sectional, observational descriptive study was conducted in the region of Gipuzkoa. POPULATION OF STUDY: Patients cared for by Saiatu between 1 February 2011 and 30 June 2012. INCLUSION CRITERIA: Patients who had died before 30 June 2012. Sample: The whole patient population (70 patients). Variables and sources of information: Records of identification of patient and main carer, health care information, and date of admission into Saiatu. RESULTS: Of the 70 patients cared for, 61.4% were men and 36.8% were women, with a mean age of 76.79 years old. In 62.9% of the cases the main carer was the spouse. More than half (60%) of the families did not have any public or private social support network, and their level of dependency was found to be severe to moderate in 75.7% of cases. The large majority (88.6%) of the patients were oncological, and the remainder were non-oncological. The majority of cases, 37.1%, were referrals from hospitalisation at home. Of the 92% who had expressed the wish to die at home, 71.4% had that wish fulfilled. However of those who died in hospital, 65% had expressed the wish to die at home. Overall 79% died in the place they had previously expressed. It was observed that age, dysphagia and emotional concerns were associated with death at home, whilst anorexia was related to death in hospital
