Decisions to utilize hospice—Pilot study results

Abstract

This research included surveys and interviews with 36 hospice clients to examine their decisions to enter hospice and to identify the factors which seemed to influence these decisions. Some of the issues addressed included the time in the client’s course of illness/treatment when the decision was made to enter hospice; who seemed to make the suggestion for the client to enter hospice; use of hospice by minorities, identification of variables which may indicate higher utilization and that could be used as predictors of use; and overall evaluation of the hospice experience. Ninety-seven percent of the study subjects stated that it was a good decision for them to have entered hospice. The one finding that is in direct contrast to the hospice literature is that 94 percent of the study subjects indicated that the timing of their referrals was appropriate and that they did not think that they should have been referred in sooner.