Symptoms and attitudes of 100 consecutive patients admitted to an acute hospice/palliative care unit.

One hundred patients admitted to an acute hospice/palliative care unit in a U.S. teaching hospital were evaluated using a standardized data acquisition tool that assessed the presence of physical symptoms and attitudes concerning admission to such a specialty unit. Patients entering the unit between June 1995 and October 1995 completed the tool within 24 hours of admission. Symptoms reported were fatigue in 81 patients, anorexia in 70, dyspnea in 61, xerostomia in 58, cough in 52, pain in 49, confusion in 37, depression in 37, constipation in 35, nausea in 30, insomnia in 23, and vomiting in 22. Of the 59 patients and family/friends that responded to the question "How do you feel about hospice care?", 53 gave a positive response. When asked about the best aspects of the unit, the most common response related to the care the patient and family received (23 responses, 39%). We conclude that patients admitted to an acute inpatient hospice/palliative care unit have multiple symptoms and a high degree of satisfaction with the environment.