Estimated Demand for Palliative Care in the Ministry of Health Network of El Salvador

Abstract

Palliative care is an essential component for achieving universal health coverage. Objective: To estimate the demand for palliative care based on the leading causes of mortality recorded within the El Salvador Ministry of Health network from 2015 to 2020 corresponding to conditions that cause serious health-related suffering, as defined by the Lancet Commission. Materials and Methods: The research employed a quantitative, descriptive, retrospective, and exploratory approach, analyzing secondary causes of mortality data from the Online Morbidity and Mortality System. Results: The study estimates that approximately 10,460.90 individuals who died within the El Salvador Ministry of Health network experienced serious health-related suffering and would have needed palliative care. The leading cause of mortality that would have required this type of care was congenital abnormalities, accounting for 21.79% of all deaths. The analysis also revealed significant gender and age disparities. Among men, liver diseases and external causes such as injuries were the leading causes of death, with mortality rates four and nine times higher than among women, respectively. In contrast, women had significantly higher mortality rates from cerebrovascular diseases. Conclusions: The highest number of deaths was concentrated in the "60 years and older" age group, indicating an increase in the burden of chronic diseases among the elderly population, in addition to the significant number of cases involving congenital abnormalities. Consequently, these findings emphasize the urgent need to expand palliative care services in El Salvador.