BACKGROUND: Despite the documented benefits of palliative and hospice care on improving patients' quality of life, these services remain underutilized. Multiple factors limit the utilization of these services, including patients' and caregivers' lack of knowledge and misperceptions. OBJECTIVES: To examine palliative and hospice care awareness, misperceptions, and receptivity among community-dwelling adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: New York State residents ≥18 years old who participated in the 2016 Empire State Poll. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Palliative and hospice care awareness, misperceptions, and receptivity. RESULTS: Of the 800 participants, 664 (83%) and 216 (27%) provided a definition of hospice care and palliative care, respectively. Of those who defined hospice care, 399 (60%) associated it with end-of-life care, 89 (13.4%) mentioned it was comfort care, and 35 (5.3%) reported hospice care provides care to patients and families. Of those who defined palliative care (n = 216), 57 (26.4%) mentioned it provided symptom management to patients, 47 (21.9%) stated it was comfort care, and 19 (8.8%) reported it was applicable in any course of an illness. Of those who defined hospice or palliative care, 248 (37.3%) had a misperception about hospice care and 115 (53.2%) had a misperception about palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: Most community-dwelling adults did not mention the major components of palliative and hospice care in their definitions, implying a low level of awareness of these services, and misinformation is common among community-dwelling adults. Palliative and hospice care education initiatives are needed to both increase awareness of and reduce misperceptions about these services.
BACKGROUND: Despite the documented benefits of palliative and hospice care on improving patients' quality of life, these services remain underutilized. Multiple factors limit the utilization of these services, including patients' and caregivers' lack of knowledge and misperceptions. OBJECTIVES: To examine palliative and hospice care awareness, misperceptions, and receptivity among community-dwelling adults. DESIGN: Cross-sectional study. SUBJECTS: New York State residents ≥18 years old who participated in the 2016 Empire State Poll. OUTCOMES MEASURED: Palliative and hospice care awareness, misperceptions, and receptivity. RESULTS: Of the 800 participants, 664 (83%) and 216 (27%) provided a definition of hospice care and palliative care, respectively. Of those who defined hospice care, 399 (60%) associated it with end-of-life care, 89 (13.4%) mentioned it was comfort care, and 35 (5.3%) reported hospice care provides care to patients and families. Of those who defined palliative care (n = 216), 57 (26.4%) mentioned it provided symptom management to patients, 47 (21.9%) stated it was comfort care, and 19 (8.8%) reported it was applicable in any course of an illness. Of those who defined hospice or palliative care, 248 (37.3%) had a misperception about hospice care and 115 (53.2%) had a misperception about palliative care. CONCLUSIONS: Most community-dwelling adults did not mention the major components of palliative and hospice care in their definitions, implying a low level of awareness of these services, and misinformation is common among community-dwelling adults. Palliative and hospice care education initiatives are needed to both increase awareness of and reduce misperceptions about these services.
Authors: Elizabeth K Vig; Helene Starks; Janelle S Taylor; Elizabeth K Hopley; Kelly Fryer-Edwards; Robert A Pearlman Journal: Am J Hosp Palliat Care Date: 2006 Mar-Apr Impact factor: 2.500
Authors: Nneka N Ufere; John Donlan; Lauren Waldman; Arpan Patel; Jules L Dienstag; Lawrence S Friedman; Kathleen E Corey; Nikroo Hashemi; Peter Carolan; Alan C Mullen; Michael Thiim; Irun Bhan; Ryan Nipp; Joseph Greer; Jennifer Temel; Raymond T Chung; Areej El-Jawahri Journal: Liver Transpl Date: 2019-05-03 Impact factor: 5.799
Authors: Elissa Kozlov; Anna Cai; Jo Anne Sirey; Angela Ghesquiere; M Carrington Reid Journal: Am J Hosp Palliat Care Date: 2018-05-23 Impact factor: 2.500
Authors: Anand S Iyer; J Nicholas Dionne-Odom; Stephanie M Ford; Sheri L Crump Tims; Elizabeth D Sockwell; Nataliya V Ivankova; Cynthia J Brown; Rodney O Tucker; Mark T Dransfield; Marie A Bakitas Journal: Ann Am Thorac Soc Date: 2019-08
Authors: Benjamin Chosich; Marjorie Burgess; Arul Earnest; Michael Franco; Fiona Runacres; Leeroy William; Peter Poon; Jaclyn Yoong Journal: Support Care Cancer Date: 2019-06-19 Impact factor: 3.603
Authors: Devika Nair; Maie El-Sourady; Kemberlee Bonnet; David G Schlundt; Joseph B Fanning; Mohana B Karlekar Journal: J Palliat Med Date: 2020-02-11 Impact factor: 2.947
Authors: Carla Reigada; Carlos Centeno; Edna Gonçalves; Maria Arantzamendi Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2021-05-17 Impact factor: 3.390