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Centre for Policy on Ageing | |
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Hospice admission practices
— where does hospice fit in the continuum of care? | | Author(s) | Karl A Lorenz, Steven M Asch, Kenneth E Rosenfeld |
| Journal title | Journal of the American Geriatrics Society, vol 52, no 5, May 2004 |
| Pages | pp 725-730 |
| Source | http://www.americangeriatrics.org http://www.blackwellpublishing.com |
| Keywords | Terminal care ; Admission ; Evaluation ; United States of America. |
| Annotation | Of 149 licensed hospices in California, 100 were surveyed about some of their admission practices between December 1999 and March 2000. 63% of these hospices restricted admissions to at least one criterion. A significant minority (26%) would not admit patients lacking a caregiver. Patients unwilling to forgo hospital admission could not be admitted to 29% of hospices. Receipt of complex medical care, including total parenteral nutrition (TPN, 38%), tube feeding (3%), transfusions (25%), radiotherapy (36%) and chemotherapy (48%), precluded admission. Larger programme size was significantly associated with a lower likelihood of all admission practices, except restricting the admission of patients receiving TPN or tube feedings. Hospices that were part of a chain were less likely to restrict the admission of patients using TPN, radiotherapy of chemotherapy that were freestanding programmes. Thus, patients who are receiving complex palliative treatments could face barriers to hospice enrolment. Policy makers should consider the clinical capacity of hospice providers in efforts to improve access to palliative care and more closely incorporate palliation with other healthcare services. (RH). |
| Accession Number | CPA-040616201 A |
| Classmark | LV: QKH: 4C: 7T |
Data © Centre for Policy on Ageing |
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| ...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing. |
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