[Hospital care versus home nursing: on the quality of life of terminal tumor patients].

The present study investigated quality of life in 41 terminally ill cancer patients. Twenty-one of them received hospital care, 20 home-bound hospice care. These groups were comparable with respect to the patients' physical condition. The following variables were chosen as indicators of quality of life: perceived social support and social distress, coping with illness, perceived positive environmental factors, perceived control over daily activities and caring routines, contentedness with medical care and nursing, physical well-being. Assessment was made by means of a semi-structured interview. The data indicate that the home-bound care was superior with respect to the following variables: perceived positive environmental factors, perceived control over daily activities and caring routines, and contentedness with nursing. No differences between groups were found for any of the other variables.