Oncology 101

Clinically Differentiating Palliative Care and Hospice

Dawn Bonebrake

Cheryl Culver

Katherine Call

Peggy Ward-Smith

palliative care, end-of-life care, hospice
CJON 2010, 14(3), 273-275. DOI: 10.1188/10.CJON.273-275

Knowing the differences and potential benefits of hospice and palliative care can help healthcare professionals advocate for their patients and make proactive decisions about patient care. Providing admission into the appropriate program can facilitate symptom management and impart the best quality of life possible for this vulnerable population. Case studies will be used to differentiate hospice from palliative care, and the history, philosophy, availability, requirements, and barriers to receiving care will be discussed.

Jump to a section

    References

    American Cancer Society. (2009). What is hospice care? Retrieved from http://www.cancer.org/docroot/ETO/content/ETO_2_5x_What_Is_Hospice_Care.asp
    Center to Advance Palliative Care. (2009). Palliative care vs. hospice care. Retrieved from http://www.getpalliativecare.org/whatis
    Curtis, J. R., Patrick, D. L., Caldwell, E. S., & Collier, A. C. (2000). Why don't patients and physicians talk about end-of-life care? Archives of Internal Medicine, 160, 1690-1696. doi: 10.1001/archinte.160.11.1690
    Egan, K. A., & Labyak, M. J. (2006). Hospice and palliative care: A model for quality end-of-life care. In B. R. Ferrell and N. Coyle (Eds.), Textbook of palliative nursing (2nd ed., pp. 13-47). New York, NY: Oxford Press.
    End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium. (2002). Training manual. Washington, DC: American Association of Colleges of Nursing.
    Goldsmith, B., Dietrich, J., Qingling, D., & Morrison, S. (2008). Variability in access to hospital palliative care in the United States. Journal of Palliative Medicine, 11, 1094-1102. doi: 10.1089/jpm.2008.0053
    Hospice Foundation of America. (2009). Choosing hospice. Retrieved from http://www.hospicefoundation.org
    Institute of Medicine. (2003). Improving palliative care: We can take better care of people with cancer. Washington, DC: National Academies Press.
    Last Acts. (2002). Means to a better end: A report on dying in America today. Retrieved from http://www.rwjf.org/pr/product.jsp?id=15788
    Meier, D. E. (2006). Palliative care in hospitals. Journal of Hospital Medicine, 1, 21-28. doi: 10.1002/jhm.3
    National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. (2009a). About NHPCO. Retrieved from http://www.nhpco.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3253&openpage=3253
    National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization. (2009b). History of hospice care. Retrieved from http://www.nhpco.org/i4a/pages/index.cfm?pageid=3285
    Steinhauser, K. E., Christakis, N. A., Clipp, E. C., McNeilly, M., McIntyre, L., & Tulsky, J. (2000). Factors considered important at the end of life by patients, family, physicians, and other health care providers. JAMA, 284, 2476-2482.
    Steinhauser, K. E., Clipp, E. C., McNeilly, M., Christakis, N. A., McIntyre, L. M., & Tulsky, J. A. (2000). In search of a good death: Observations of patients, families and providers. Annals of Internal Medicine, 132, 825-832.