|
Study Shows More Patients Could Benefit from Hospice Care
Hospice, a well-established approach to palliative care, has enabled countless people worldwide to die with dignity. Through focusing on the patient rather than the disease, individuals can spend the last weeks or months of their lives in an environment where hospice caregivers minimize their pain, maximize their comfort, and provide bereavement support for loved ones and family members.  | | A Harvard Medical School study shows that beginning hospice care earlier provides support for the patient and family, enhancing quality of life when a person is terminally ill.
_________________________ | | A new study led by researchers at Harvard Medical School, however, found that only about half of a group of patients diagnosed with metastatic lung cancer discussed hospice with their physician within 4 to 7 months of their diagnosis. "Many terminally ill patients who might benefit from hospice aren't discussing it with their physicians and may not be aware of the services hospice could offer," says Haiden Huskamp, lead author on the study and HMS associate professor of health care policy. Findings were published in a recent issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. In general, the longer patients expected to live after their diagnosis, the less likely they were to have explored hospice care with their doctor. However, the researchers also found that patients tended to overestimate how long they had to live. For example, about 30 percent of the patients thought that they would live up to two years. In reality though, only about 6 percent of patients with metastatic lung cancer will survive that long. What's more, patients who preferred care that eased their pain and suffering at the end of life over care that extended life (roughly 50 percent of patients) were no more likely to have discussed hospice than patients who had the opposite preference. "These conversations can be difficult for everyone involved—patients, families, and physicians," says Huskamp. "But discussing prognosis and end-of-life care options in advance is essential to make sure that patients receive care that reflects their wishes." Source: Harvard School of Public Health. This study was funded by the National Cancer Institute. 
For More Information The May 26, 2009 issue of the Boston Globe examined some of the issues raised by the Harvard Study. "Terminally Ill Patients Delay Talk of Hospice" examines some of the reasons patients may hesitate to discuss the hospice option. "Avoiding the Call to Hospice" in the May 26, 2009 issue of the New York Times, also examines misconceptions families may have that could prevent a patient from receiving hospice care.
|
