What Predicts Hospice Use in the Nursing Home?

The choice to utilize hospice care in the nursing home when residents are experiencing progressive decline can promote positive quality of care and comfort for residents at the end of life. Concurrent hospice and nursing home care can be less aggressive, and improve symptom management and perceived quality by family members. Using a secondary analysis of retrospective data from the electronic medical record, this study identified predictors of hospice use among 300 nursing home decedents using a six-month look back period. Findings showed that having poorer physical status (weight loss), cognitive status, and having had a "goals of care" conversation were significantly associated with greater likelihood of using hospice in the nursing home in the last six months of life. Interdisciplinary team members who provide care on a daily basis and are in a position to detect worsening medical condition of residents and can facilitate advance planning. Care planning that includes examining goals of care and communication with hospice providers when multiple care providers are involved is essential.