The Organization of Home Palliative Cancer Care by Primary Health Care: A Systematic Review Protocol

Greater longevity and chronic diseases, such as cancer, require (re)organization of care for the sustainability of health systems and better quality of life. Palliative care organized by primary health care has positive outcomes, changing standards of care at the end of life, reducing hospitalizations and health costs and contributing to people’s autonomy to stay at home with controlled symptoms. However, in many countries, this is not possible because the provision of palliative cancer care is isolated or generalized, concentrated in the hospital, and without the strategic participation of primary care. In many developed countries, where palliative care is offered in an integrated way, home care has increased the people’s chances of receiving dignified care at the end of life. The aim of this review is to evaluate the organization of home palliative cancer care by primary care to improve the use of health resources and the quality of life of such patients. This systematic review protocol follows the Cochrane methodology to provide a narrative synthesis, with the resulting report guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA).