Open Access“It’s Like a Death Sentence but It Really Isn’t” What Patients and Families Want to Know About Hospice Care When Making End-of-Life Decisions
Author(s) -
Channing E. Tate,
Grace Venechuk,
Elinor Brereton,
Pilar Ingle,
Larry A. Allen,
Megan A. Morris,
Daniel D. Matlock
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
the american journal of hospice and palliative care/the american journal of hospice and palliative care (online)
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 1938-2715
pISSN - 1049-9091
DOI - 10.1177/1049909119897259
Subject(s) - snowball sampling , hospice care , medicine , end of life care , referral , focus group , advance care planning , nursing , palliative care , family medicine , pathology , marketing , business
Hospice is underutilized, due to both lack of initiation from patients and late referral from clinicians. Prior research has suggested the reasons for underuse are multifactorial, including clinician and patient lack of understanding, misperceptions about the nature of hospice care, and poor communication during end-of-life discussions about hospice care. Little is known about the decisional needs of patients and families engaging in hospice decision-making.