Why Taiwanese hospice patients want to stay in hospital: Health-care professionals' beliefs and solutions

Abstract

Patient-related barriers and their solution in the planning of discharge to palliative home care were investigated through a nationwide survey conducted in Taiwan. Of 250 questionnaires sent to palliative care workers at 15 hospices in Taiwan, 229 valid questionnaires (91.6%) were retrieved. Most of the respondents were nursing staff (72.5%) while only 38 were physicians (16.6%). Canonical correlation analysis was used to examine the association between the barriers and solutions, and revealed that the value of the first variate was 0.49 (P<0.05). The barriers and canonical loadings were: unable to manage emergent medical conditions (0.83), the quality of care in the hospital is better (0.74), and insufficient number of caregivers (0.72). The effective solutions that correlated significantly with the above factors were ranked as: to reassure the patient about the possibility of smooth readmission (0.84), to arrange palliative home care programs (0.68), and to educate family members on taking care of the patient at home (0.64). In conclusion, to solve patient-related barriers in the planning of the discharge of patients with terminal cancer, the results suggest that (1) health professionals involved in the care of patients with terminal cancer should have adequate knowledge of palliative care, particularly communication skills, (2) an effective referral system among general or oncology and palliative care units should be established, (3) inpatient care facilities and home-care programs should be provided, and (4) patients and families should be educated as to what may happen and how to manage these conditions at home and should be assured of the availability of medical help.