Helping patients with cancer prepare for hospice.

People with life-limiting cancer will make decisions about their end-of-life (EOL) care at some point during their illness. Hospice is an option of care aimed at providing optimal quality of life at EOL. Nursing plays a major role in helping people transition from curative treatments or treatments that control the disease to EOL care. Choosing hospice is difficult for many patients with cancer. In addition, healthcare providers also face challenges in discussing EOL care. This article explores issues pertaining to EOL care conversations between nurses and patients and offers strategies that can be implemented by nurses to aid patients' transition to hospice care.