End-of-life care for immigrants in Germany. An epidemiological appraisal of Berlin

BACKGROUND: Since the late 1950’s, a steadily increasing immigrant population in Germany is resulting in a subpopulation of aging immigrants. The German health care system needs to adjust its services—linguistically, culturally, and medically–for this subpopulation of patients. Immigrants make up over 20% of the population in Germany, yet the majority receive inadequate medical care. As many of the labor immigrants of the 1960s and 1970s are in need of hospice and palliative care (HPC), little is known about this specialized care for immigrants. This epidemiological study presents utilization of HPC facilities in Berlin with a focus on different immigrant groups. METHODS: A validated questionnaire was used to collect data from patients at 34 HPC institutions in Berlin over 20 months. All newly admitted patients were recruited. Anonymized data were coded and analyzed by using SPSS and compared with the population statistics of Berlin. RESULTS: 4118 questionnaires were completed and included in the analysis. At 11.4% the proportion of immigrants accessing HPC was significantly (p<0,001) below their proportion in the general Berlin population. This difference was especially seen in the age groups of 51–60 (21.46% immigrants in Berlin population, 17.7% immigrants in HPC population) and 61–70 years (16,9% vs. 13,1%). The largest ethnic groups are Turks, Russians, and Poles, with a different weighting than in the general population: Turkish immigrants were 24% of all Berlin immigrants, but only 13.6% of the study immigrant population (OR: 0.23, 95%CI: 0.18–0.29, p<0.001). Russian and Polish immigrants account for 5.6% and 9.2% in the population, but 11.5% and 24.8% in the study population respectively (Russian: OR 0.88, 95%CI: 0.66–1.16; Polish: OR 1.17, 95%CI: 0.97–1.42). Palliative care wards (PC) were used most often (16.7% immigrants of all PC patients); outpatient hospice services were used least often by immigrants (11.4%). Median age at first admission to HPC was younger in immigrants than non-immigrants: 61–70 vs. 71–80, p = 0.03. CONCLUSIONS: Immigrants are underrepresented in Berlin´s HPC and immigrants on average make use of care at a younger age than non-immigrants. In this regard, Turkish immigrants in particular have the poorest utilization of HPC. These results should prompt research on Turkish immigrants, regarding access barriers, since they represent the largest immigrant group. This may be due to a lack of cultural sensitivity of the care-providers and a lack of knowledge about HPC among immigrants. In the comparison of the kinds of institutions, immigrants are less likely to access outpatient hospice services compared to PC. Apparently, PC appear to be a smaller hurdle for utilization. These results show a non-existent, but oft-cited “healthy immigrant effect” of the first generation of work immigrants, now entering old age. These findings correspond with studies suggesting increased health concerns in immigrants. Focused research is needed to promote efforts in providing adequate and fair access to HPC for all people in Berlin.