Home-Based Hospice Care Provided by a Free-Standing Hospice Center: Patients' Characteristics and Service Conditions.
10.14475/kjhpc.2016.19.2.145
- Author:
Hyoung Suk KIM
1
;
Kyung Ja JUNE
;
Young Sun SON
Author Information
1. Department of Nursing, Soonchunhyang University, Cheonan, Korea. haeinssa@hanmail.net
- Publication Type:Original Article
- Keywords:
Hospice care;
Home care service;
Retrospective studies;
Medical records
- MeSH:
Defecation;
Home Care Services;
Hospice Care*;
Hospices*;
Hospitalization;
House Calls;
Humans;
Medical Records;
Referral and Consultation;
Retrospective Studies
- From:Korean Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
2016;19(2):145-153
- CountryRepublic of Korea
- Language:Korean
-
Abstract:
PURPOSE: This study was conducted to investigate patients' characteristics and actual conditions of home-based services offered by a free-standing hospice center. METHODS: A retrospective review was performed with the medical records of 75 patients who received home-based hospice care from a free-standing hospice center from January 2014 through December 2014. RESULTS: Most patients (54.7%) were enrolled via self-directed referral. The reason for the service termination was death at home 25.3%, admission to a hospice ward 50.7%, hospitalization 22.6% and patients' refusal 2.7%. Seventy three patients had cancer, and two patients had ALS. Among all, 58.7% were in a dying phase, and 34.7% were almost completely bedfast at the time of their enrollment in this study. When they enrolled, the patients' physical symptoms were characterized as pain (89.4%), sleep disturbance (71.2%), urinary difficulties (35.8%) and defecation difficulties (47.8%). Among all, 77.4% terminated the home visit service within one month. The mean frequency of the home visits was 3.25 (±3.98), and less than five in 82.7% of patients. The mean frequency of the phone service was 3.40 (±3.12). The frequency of doctor's home visits was 1.21±0.79 on average, and the figure increased when patients' conditions turned unstable. CONCLUSION: It is necessary to develop a home-based hospice care model with consideration of patients' characteristics and the actual service conditions delivered by free-standing hospice facilities.
