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Objectives: To (a) compare palliative care needs of lung cancer patients on their final admission to community‐based and inpatient palliative care services; and (b) explore whether and how these care needs affect their utilisation of different palliative care services in the last days of life. Methods: Descriptive study involving 17,816 lung cancer patients who received the last episode of palliative care from specialist services and died between 1 January 2013 and 31 December 2018. Results: Both groups of patients admitted to community‐based and inpatient palliative care services generally experienced relatively low levels of symptom distress, but high levels of functional impairment and dependency. "Unstable" versus "stable" palliative care phase (Odds ratio = 11.66; 95% Confidence Interval: 9.55–14.24), poorer functional outcomes and severe levels of distress from many symptoms predicted greater likelihood of use of inpatient versus community‐based palliative care. Conclusions: Most inpatient palliative care admissions are not associated with high levels of symptom severity. To extend the period of home care and rate of home death for people with lung cancer, additional investment is required to improve their access to sufficiently skilled palliative care staff, multi‐disciplinary teams and 24‐hour home support in community settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Summary: Aim: Hospitalized heart failure (HF) patients have a poor prognosis postdischarge. We determined whether renin‐angiotensin system inhibitors (RASI) and β‐blockers dispensed to patients within 60 days post‐HF hospital discharge are associated with improved 1‐year survival. Methods: A retrospective population‐based study was conducted in 4897 seniors, aged 65‐84 years, alive at 60 days postindex HF hospitalization in Western Australia over 2003‐2008. Dispensing of RASI and β‐blocker dispensing was identified from the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme claims database linked to hospital admission and death records. Results: At 1‐year posthospital discharge, the all‐cause mortality and all‐cause death or HF rehospitalization rate was 13.5% (n = 663) and 24.4% (n = 1193), respectively. Postdischarge RASI and β‐blocker were dispensed in 77.4% and 53.0% of patients, respectively. Their use was associated with a lower inverse probability treatment weighted (IPTW) HR for 1‐year mortality of 0.70, 95% CI 0.61‐0.81 and 0.79, 95% CI 0.68‐0.92, respectively (both P < 0.0001), with a survival advantage most evident in the subgroup (70.1%) of patients with ischemic HF. In the overall cohort, these therapies were also associated with reduced IPTW HRs for all‐cause death or HF rehospitalization (both P < 0.005) but not for HF rehospitalization exclusively. Use of a β‐blocker was associated with a reduced IPTW HR for HF rehospitalization in the ischemic HF subgroup only. Conclusions: In a cohort of senior patients hospitalized with HF, dispensing of a RASI or β‐blocker within 60 days postdischarge is associated with a 1‐year survival benefit. Early postdischarge support programs after recent HF hospitalization should include measures to optimize adherence to evidence‐based medications. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]