1
Hospice and End of Life Care for Chronically Ill Patients.
Doris Ekwem
Delaware Technical Community College
NUR 330 Population and Community Health
Dr. Kelly Davis
November 13, 2022
2
Hospice and End of Life Care for Chronically Ill Patients.
Hospice care and other forms of end-of-life care for patients who are either nearing the
end of their lives or have a terminal illness are necessary. Nevertheless, because of the character
of the care, it can be challenging to assess the community's needs and develop an appropriate
care plan. This paper will compile all available data on Hospice and care provided to terminal
patients in the local community, analyze the data to identify needs, and develop a plan of care
that includes smart goals, projected interventions, and a proposed evaluation plan.
One of the first steps in this project was to gather data on the number of Hospice and end-
of-life care facilities in the community, the number of patients they serve, and the types of
services they provide. This data can be gathered from various sources, including the community's
chamber of commerce, the local health department, and the actual hospice and care facilities
during the latter stages of life (Planning, 2020). Assessment data from the community will
include the following: the number of facilities providing hospice care, the average duration of
stay with care, patient and family satisfaction with care, this paper will bring to light, various end
of life options for patients. With this information, one can make the best decision for their loved
ones. Once this data has been gathered, it will be analyzed to identify gaps in service or areas
where the community's needs are unmet (Prince et al., 2022).
Through the process of conducting a needs assessment, the community's requirements for
Hospice care and other services for terminally ill patients and those in their latter phases of life
were uncovered. The following is a summary of the demands that have been recognized, as well
as the accompanying intelligent objectives that have been designed to meet these requirements.
The needs that will be addressed include the following: the availability of high-quality Hospice
and other services for people who are in the later stages of their lives; improved communication
3
and coordination between the various care providers; better support for caregivers; and increased
public education about Hospice and other services for people who are in the later stages of their
lives care options.
Furthermore, to improve the quality of care that is offered to people who are chronically
ill and the families of those people, the care plan for the community should consider the
aforementioned needs. The following are examples of possible interventions: they are increasing
access to quality Hospice and other care for patients in their latter stages of life by expanding
coverage and improving reimbursement rates (Planning, 2020). Implementing electronic health
records and care management systems improves communication and coordination between
different care providers. I support caregivers through respite care services, educational programs,
and financial assistance (Tatum& Mills, 2020). Informing the public about Hospice and other
choices for end-of-life care by means of outreach programs and other educational materials
aimed at the public to successfully implement this care plan, it will be necessary to include a
wide variety of stakeholders, such as governmental organizations, healthcare professionals,
insurance companies, and patient advocacy groups (Planning, 2020).
The plan of care for the community will focus on addressing the identified needs by
implementing the corresponding intelligent goals. This will be done through a community
outreach and education campaign that will provide information on Hospice and other services for
people in their latter stages of lifecare options and increase access to these services (Prince et al.,
2022). Additionally, efforts will be made to reduce the stigma and negative attitudes towards
Hospice and end-of-life care through education and awareness (Fernando & Hughes, 2019).
The outreach and education campaign will be conducted through various methods,
including, but not limited to, print materials, presentations, and workshops. The presentations
4
and workshops will be conducted at community events and locations, such as health fairs,
churches, and community centers (Tatum& Mills, 2020).
In addition to the outreach and education campaign, the following resources will be made
available to the community: a directory of local hospices and other organizations that offer care
for patients nearing the end of their lives, information on possible financial aid for anyone who
could want assistance with the costs; this is for anyone who might require assistance with the
prices, grief support groups for those who have gone through the experience of losing a loved
one, links to websites with information about hospice and various types of end-of-life care. An
all-day, all-night helpline that can provide people with information and assistance as needed.
With the help of this care plan, the community will have a better understanding of the
hospice and end-of-life care alternatives that are available to them, as well as improved access to
these services. Additionally, the plan aims to broaden the community's access to these types of
services. The only thing we can do is hope that these measures will contribute to a reduction in
the stigma that relates to hospice care and other types of end-of-life care (Planning, 2020).
The projected interventions will be specific actions that will be taken to achieve the smart
goals. There are several interventions that hospice care teams can provide. These interventions
can be divided into four categories: medical, nursing, social, and spiritual. The physician on the
hospice care team is the one who provides medical interventions. Other medical care and pain
management are examples of these interventions. The nurse on the hospice care team provides
the nursing care and interventions. Medication, advocating for their patient, wound care,
intravenous therapy, and other nursing care are examples of these interventions (Tatum & Mills,
2020). The social worker on the hospice care team provides social interventions. Counseling,
support groups, and other social services are examples of these interventions (Prince et al.,2022).
5
The chaplain of the hospice care team is the one who provides spiritual interventions. These
interventions can include prayer, spiritual counselling, and other spiritual services. The goal of
hospice care providers is to enhance the quality of life for both the terminally ill patient and the
patient's loved ones through the work they do. Hospice care is meant to alleviate the patient's
suffering. The objective is to support individuals' efforts while also assisting in making them feel
better.
There are a few different approaches one may use to evaluate the efficacy of the hospice
care teams' work. In addition to these approaches, seeing what takes place, engaging in focus
groups, conducting interviews, and conducting surveys of patients and their families are also
employed (Fernando& Hughes, 2019). The patient's quality of life, the degree of happiness in
their family, and the overall cost of their medical care are some examples of these outcomes.
In conclusion, hospice and other forms of end-of-life care are topics that are frequently
hard to talk about. Individuals may be struggling with a great degree of bodily, mental, and
spiritual agony during this period since it is a time when people face their own mortality. In
addition, it is a period when families are mourning and may feel powerless because of their loss.
It is even more difficult for people to decide what they want because there is a lot of misleading
information floating around about hospice care. It is important to understand that hospice care is
a particular approach to caring for patients at their last stage of life.
6
References
Fernando, G. V. M. C., & Hughes, S. (2019). Team approaches in palliative care: a review of the
literature. International journal of palliative nursing, 25(9), 444-451.
https://doi.org/10.12968/ijpn.2019.25.9.444
Planning, A. C. (2020). National hospice and palliative care organization. URL: https://www.
nhpco. org/patients-and-caregivers/advance-care-planning/[accessed 2020-04-24].
Prince, H., Kortes-Miller, K., Stajduhar, K. I., & Marshall, D. (2022). Public health palliative
care, equity-oriented care, and structural vulnerability. Oxford Textbook of Public Health
Palliative Care, 197. https://books.google.co.ke/books?
hl=en&lr=&id=FCFnEAAAQBAJ&oi=fnd&pg=PA197&dq=Prince,+H.,+Kortes-Miller,
+K.,+Stajduhar,+K.+I.,+%26+Marshall,+D.+(2022).+Public+health+palliative+care,
+equity-oriented+care,+and+structural+vulnerability.
+Oxford+Textbook+of+Public+Health+Palliative+Care,
+197.&ots=Go8f2Nf8i2&sig=ve3X29EPCbUpMlGx-
2Q3KkfMIog&redir_esc=y#v=onepage&q&f=false
Tatum, P. E., & Mills, S. S. (2020). Hospice and palliative care: an overview. Medical
Clinics, 104(3), 359-373. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mcna.2020.01.001
