Presence at the time of death and factors associated with dying alone: A nationwide registry study.

Abstract

This study used data from the Swedish Register of Palliative Care, supplemented with questions, to investigate presence at the time of death and explore factors associated with dying alone. The sample consisted of 10,574 patients who had died an expected death, of whom 77% had someone present at the time of death. Only 19% had expressed a wish regarding the presence of others; among those who had not, the odds of dying alone were higher. In 93%, family members had been informed that death was imminent; when they had not been informed, the odds of the patient dying alone was higher. When patients died alone, the time since someone was last present ranged from between one minute to more than 60 minutes. Furthermore, the absence of a documented medical decision regarding transition to end-of-life palliative care and higher age were associated with higher odds of dying alone.