Sontag M A
Hosp J. 1996;11(3):71-94. doi: 10.1080/0742-969x.1996.11882828.
This article presents results from a study of all hospice programs in a western state. Personal interviews and questionnaires were utilized to collect data about hospice programs, their directors, nurses, social workers, and chaplains. Results from this study indicate the hospice programs in one state do not uniformly deliver "total care," services designed to address physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Caseloads for nurses were consistent at 9-12 patients per one Full Time Equivalent (FTE) while caseloads for social workers and chaplains varied widely from less than twenty patients per FTE to more than one hundred for some chaplains. Social workers and chaplains identified lack of time as a significant challenge, while nurses were challenged by the emotional needs of patients and families. Social workers and chaplains were significantly more likely than nurses to view the medical needs of patients as the primary focus of their hospice programs. Further, results indicate that characteristics of programs and directors were related to the availability of services and staff perceptions of hospice practices.
本文介绍了对西部一个州所有临终关怀项目的研究结果。通过个人访谈和问卷调查收集了有关临终关怀项目、其负责人、护士、社会工作者和牧师的数据。该研究结果表明，一个州的临终关怀项目并未统一提供“全面护理”，即旨在满足身体、情感、社会和精神需求的服务。护士的工作量较为稳定，每全时当量（FTE）负责9至12名患者，而社会工作者和牧师的工作量差异很大，从每FTE不到20名患者到一些牧师超过100名患者不等。社会工作者和牧师认为时间不足是一项重大挑战，而护士则受到患者及其家属情感需求的挑战。社会工作者和牧师比护士更有可能将患者的医疗需求视为其临终关怀项目的主要重点。此外，结果表明项目和负责人的特征与服务的可获得性以及工作人员对临终关怀实践的看法有关。
