Hospice Use Among Patients With Cancer: Trends, Barriers, and Future Directions

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (12) ◽  
pp. 803-809
Author(s):  
Mihir N. Patel ◽  
Jonathan M. Nicolla ◽  
Fred A.P. Friedman ◽  
Michala R. Ritz ◽  
Arif H. Kamal
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
Advanced Cancer ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Rapid Development ◽  
Spiritual Needs ◽  
Life Care ◽  
General Acceptance ◽  
Patients With Cancer ◽  
Hospice Use

Patients with advanced cancer and their families frequently encounter clinical and logistical challenges related to end-of-life care. Hospice provides interdisciplinary and holistic care to meet patients’ biomedical, psychosocial, and spiritual needs in the last phases of life. Despite increasing general acceptance and use among patients with cancer, hospice remains underused. Underuse stems from ongoing misconceptions regarding hospice and its purpose, coupled with the rapid development of novel anticancer treatments, such as immunotherapies and targeted therapies, that have changed the landscape of possibilities. Furthermore, rapid evolutions in how end-of-life care is structured and reimbursed for will affect how oncology patients will intersect with hospice care. In this review, we explore the current and future challenges to greater integration of hospice care in the care of patients with advanced cancer and propose five recommendations as part of the path forward.

scholarly journals RACIAL DISPARITIES IN HOSPICE USE AT THE END OF LIFE: FINDINGS FROM THE REGARDS STUDY

2019 ◽  
Vol 3 (Supplement_1) ◽  
pp. S436-S436
Author(s):  
Katherine Ornstein ◽  
Orla C Sheehan ◽  
Jin Huang ◽  
J David Rhodes ◽  
David L Roth
Keyword(s):  
Racial Disparities ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Racial Differences ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Stroke Incidence ◽  
Regards Study ◽  
Hospice Use

Abstract Hospice supports patients and families through interdisciplinary care focused on symptom management and maximization of quality of life. Although hospice care confers well-documented benefits, it remains underutilized: many patients do not use it at all or enter care too late to receive any benefit. While racial disparities in hospice use have been documented, hospice utilization among non-white decedents remains understudied, particularly among those with non-cancer diagnoses. Therefore, we used the REasons for Geographic and Racial Differences in Stroke (REGARDS) study, a population-based investigation of stroke incidence with oversampling of Blacks and cause of death adjudication by expert panel review, linked to Medicare claims data to examine racial disparities in end-of-life care. We identified 1221 participants who died between 2013-2015 due to natural causes excluding sudden death. More than half (52.8%) used hospice during the last 6 months of life (median =15 days), with use among cancer decedents over 70%. Overall, Blacks were significantly less likely to use hospice (OR=0.570) compared to Whites in adjusted analyses. Among hospice users, Blacks did not significantly differ from Whites in length of stay. In analyses stratified by cause of death (dementia, cancer, CVD and other), Blacks were significantly less likely than Whites to use hospice for all causes of death other than dementia. Despite tremendous growth of hospice in recent decades, our findings suggest that this effective service remains highly underutilized among Blacks dying from cancer, CVD and other serious illnesses, suggesting a need for targeted intervention to eliminate disparities in quality end-of-life care.

Measuring Attitudes About End-of-Life Care: Evaluation of a Modified Version of the Hospice Philosophy Scale

2018 ◽  
Vol 39 (8) ◽  
pp. 828-833
Author(s):  
Daniel J. Van Dussen ◽  
John Cagle ◽  
Amy J. Plant ◽  
Seokho Hong ◽  
Krystal L. Culler ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Convergent Validity ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Adult Population ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Cross Sectional ◽  
Validation Data ◽  
End Of Life Issues ◽  
Hospice Use

The Hospice Philosophy Scale (HPS) is the only scaled instrument that measures health professionals’ attitudes about end-of-life care consistent with the hospice philosophy. This study tested the properties of a modified version of the HPS to provide preliminary validation data on internal consistency, convergent validity, and factorability in a broad population of adults. A cross-sectional telephone survey designed to assess the general population’s attitudes regarding hospice use was administered. exploratory factor analysis elicited an eight-item instrument (HPS-8). The HPS-8 produced a Cronbach’s alpha of .73 and demonstrated sufficient convergent validity, including positive associations with a scale measuring the importance of relevant end-of-life issues ( r = .41, p < .001), a personal preference for hospice (ρ = .36, p < .001), and, among those who had experienced hospice care, satisfaction with hospice care (ρ = .28, p < .01). Our evidence suggests the HPS-8 is a reliable and valid instrument for use with a general adult population.

Dysphagia in Hospice Care: The Roles of Social Work and Speech-Language Pathologists

2014 ◽  
Vol 23 (4) ◽  
pp. 173-186 ◽  
Author(s):  
Deborah Hinson ◽  
Aaron J. Goldsmith ◽  
Joseph Murray
Keyword(s):  
Social Work ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
Case Studies ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Patient Communication ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Speech Language Pathologists ◽  
Four Levels

This article addresses the unique roles of social work and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) in end-of-life and hospice care settings. The four levels of hospice care are explained. Suggested social work and SLP interventions for end-of-life nutrition and approaches to patient communication are offered. Case studies are used to illustrate the specialized roles that social work and SLP have in end-of-life care settings.

Serious Mental Illness and Hospice Care

2021 ◽  
pp. 082585972110220
Author(s):  
Gwen Levitt
Keyword(s):  
Mental Health ◽  
End Of Life ◽  
End Of Life Care ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Hospice Care ◽  
Treatment Options ◽  
Life Care ◽  
Case Review ◽  
Health Community ◽  
End Stage

There are a small number of articles in the literature discussing palliative and end-of-life care in the SMI population. Most tackle the questions relating to competency to refuse care in end-stage anorexia or terminal medical conditions. This is a case review of a 55 year old patient with a complex psychiatric and medical history, who despite extensive treatment and long hospitalizations has failed to regain any ability to care for her basic needs. She has exhausted all available treatment options and her prognosis is extremely poor. The mental health community is resistant to discussing and/ or confronting the fact that such a patient faces with the need for end-of-life care directly related to chronic psychiatric illness.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document