Who provides care for people dying of cancer? A comparison of a rural and metropolitan cohort in a South Australian bereaved population study

Objective: To examine and compare urban and rural palliative care service availability and patterns of care from randomised, population-based surveys of caregivers of people at the end of life. Design, Setting & Participants: Survey responses on the death of 'someone close' from 23,588 interviews of South Australians conducted between 2001 and 2007 are analysed. Interventions: A randomised population survey. Main Outcome Measures: Explored palliative care service availability, caregiving provided, and characteristics of the deceased and their caregivers. Results: There was no difference in reported rates of accessing specialist palliative care services between rural and urban respondents (in unadjusted and adjusted analyses) nor did the proportion of people for whom cancer was their life-limiting illness. There was greater reliance on friends than first degree relatives in hands-on care provided at the end of life in rural settings. The rates of reported need for more support did not differ between urban and rural respondents for caregivers of people at the end of life. Conclusion: Use of palliative care services was similar for rural and urban caregivers for someone close at the end of life with similar levels of met and unmet needs.