PURPOSE: This study was conducted to analyze a trend in studies of hospice care in Korea and to suggest future research directions. METHODS: This study analyzed a total of 183 studies related to hospice care which were found at http://www.riss.kr. RESULTS: Of the 183 studies, 62 (33.9%) were for thesis studies for a degree, 121 (66.1%) for academic journals. There were 159 (87.8%) quantitative studies, 18 (8.9%) qualitative studies, and 6 (3.3%) Q-Method studies. The most frequently used study design was a descriptive study. The majority of study participants were terminal cancer patients, patients' family members and health care personnel. The thesis articles were searched by using key words as follows: health, nursing, environment, children's hospice, and others. CONCLUSION: The number of studies of hospice care has increased, and research key words varied. Furthermore, more experimental research is needed on nursing intervention such as pain relief, alternative therapies and hospice care for children.