Most people, especially most cancer patients, want to die at home. In reality, the rate of death at home differs from about 20 to 50 percent in dependence to the environment, the availability of home care services and others. We analysed factors influencing the rate of a dying at home and the results of an palliative care service. It could be shown that people from countryside, patients with lung cancer and very old people (> 80 y.) mostly die at home. Caring cancer patients with a qualified palliative care service can increase the rate of dying at home from 45 up to 69 percent.
Conclusions: Qualification in palliative medicine is needed for general practitioners, because they care for most people in their terminal phase. Health insurances must understand home care as a cost-saving and human way for medical care.