Terminally ill patients have a more peaceful death at home

Dying at home is a more peaceful experience than a hospital, according to a new research article published in the journal BMC Medicine. The follow-back study examined the cases of 177 cancer patients in London who died in a hospital and 175 who died at home. Researchers asked family members about the patient's experience with pain and grief in the week prior to their death. They found that patients who died at home experienced similar pain levels as those in hospitals but were more at peace in their last week of life. "Many people with cancer justifiably fear pain," lead author Barbara Gomes told ABC Online, "so it is encouraging that we observed patients dying at home did not experience greater pain than those in hospitals where access to pain relieving drugs may be more plentiful." Research article