[The present state of the 24-hour care system of our hospital and the examination of the significance and problems of the system].

The wishes of patients with terminal cancer are often not realized even if they indicate they want to die at home. We introduced a 24-hour visiting care system from November, 1994, with a view to making it possible for the patient who wants to to stay at home. As a result, the rate of the death at home increased; thus, the 24-hour visiting care system was significant for terminal care at home. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of a medical institution, the lack of sufficient cooperation with doctors and the increase of the burden on the staff were pointed out as problems to be resolved.