The British journal of general practice : the journal of the Royal College of General Practitioners
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A majority of patients with cancer who are seriously ill have a preference of dying at home. However, only a minority of patients actually die at home in most Western countries. ⋯ Dying at home was, to a higher extent, associated with GP visit and, to a lesser extent, community nurse visit than with clinical and sociodemographic characteristics of patients with cancer. In our view, these findings indicate the importance of the GP in particular. To increase the opportunity to die at home, more research is needed on the role of the GP and the interface between GPs and other providers of health care at home for patients who are terminally ill with cancer.