Publication
"If We Build It, Will They Come?" A Cohort Study of Family Utilization of a Pediatric-Specific Inpatient Hospice Facility (GP709)
Berkel C, Bernatavicius W, Berger K, Shaw T · Journal of Pain and Symptom Management · 2020
Objectives: * Interpret results of this study relative to previous research. * Evaluate the benefits of a pediatric inpatient hospice facility. Importance: Pediatric-specific hospice facilities (PHFs) are gaining interest as an alternative for end-of-life care. The need for these facilities has been called into question by previous research examining preferences of bereaved parents (Kassam, et. al., 2014); however, a PHF was not available to families in that study. The current study addresses this limitation by examining inpatient hospice utilization and location of death before and after the opening of a PHF. Objective(s): Interpret results of this study relative to previous research, Evaluate the benefits of a pediatric inpatient hospice facility. Method(s): We conducted a retrospective cohort study to test the hypotheses that the opening of the PHF would be associated with a greater proportion of 1) families using inpatient hospice care and 2) deaths occurring in hospice. Hospice referral data and location of death were extracted from hospice medical records. Referral date and date of death were dummy coded (i.e., Time 0 = 5 years prior to the opening of the PHF and Time 1 = 0 to 5 years after the opening). Chi-square analyses were used to test hypotheses. Result(s): Providers referred 471 patients during Time 0 and 554 patients during Time 1. There was a significant effect of opening of the PHF on referral outcomes [X2(2)=52.66,p<=.001]. From Time 0 to Time 1, there was a significant increase in the percent of families who engaged in inpatient hospice services (14 vs. 33%). The number of children who died was 188 during Time 0 and 327 during Time 1. Location of death also changed significantly [X2(2)=49.56,p<=.001]. Specifically, there was a significant increase in the percent of children who died while receiving care at an inpatient hospice facility once the PHF opened (23% vs. 55%). Conclusion(s): Providers and families find inpatient hospice to be a desirable option when a pediatric-specific facility is available. Impact: Results may be informative for healthcare organizations who are interested in developing pediatric specific facilities. Copyright © 2020
Synced from the TRENDS in Pediatric Palliative Care Zotero library, curated by The Siden Research Team. ICPCN does not host or verify the full text.