National hospice study reveals gaps ...(new hospices in under-served areas and r...),Health

At the same time, the survival of a hospice also depends on referrals from physicians who are familiar with hospice and what services are available in the area, as well as willingness on the part of patients or families who know what hospice is and how it differs from traditional end-of-life care. Both of these factors are related to education level and peoples experience with hospice.

Even though hospice has been around for decades, the concept is still unfamiliar or vaguely understood by many people, Silveira notes.

In general, hospices strive to offer high-quality and compassionate care for patients who have an illness or injury that is limiting their life expectancy, no matter what their age. They provide medical care, pain management and emotional and spiritual support during the end-of-life period, aiming for a pain-free, dignified death. Hospices may offer services within a freestanding facility of their own, in a patients own home or within a hospital, nursing home or long-term-care facility.

The boom in the hospice field in the last two decades has brought increased quality of life and less suffering and grief to the final days of millions of people, and may actually help terminally ill people live slightly longer than they would have in hospitals, Silveira says.

Analyses to date have not shown that hospice saves money overall, but it does result in lower hospitalization, resuscitation and treatment costs.

Despite hospices benefits, previous research has shown that elderly people, members of minority groups and people in rural areas are far less likely to use hospice. The new analysis probes the reasons why, by looking at hospice availability
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