[action 1]
Hospice care addresses the patient and family’s physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs as the patient’s disease progresses. If you have a patient with a life expectancy of six months or less, hospice may be the answer.
Here are eight common findings in hospice-appropriate patients:
- Stage IV cancer and/or cancer that has metastasized and are not seeking curative treatment
- Continuous O2 and/or have O2 saturation on room air of 88% or less
- Ejection fraction of 20% or less in cardiac patients
- Have had three or more ER visits and/or hospitalizations in the past six months
- No desire or willingness to continue dialysis treatment
- Albumin level of 2.5 or less
- Severe dementia and other advanced neurological diseases that result in incontinence, inability to ambulate without assistance and/or inability to effectively communicate
- Unable to eat or drink; discontinued or refused feeding tube
