The effect of an intervention of a regional palliative care intervention program on home hospice utilization and hospital staff’s perceptions about home care: an observation from the OPTIM-study

ABSTRACT

This study aimed to clarify whether a regional palliative care intervention program, the OPTIM project, increased home hospice utilization, and explore the potential association between the home hospice utilization and the hospital staff's perceptions on home care. A questionnaire survey was conducted involving 154 physicians and 469 nurses. The rate of patients who made the transition to home-based care increased 967% in A Hospital, 295% in B Hospital, and 221% in C Hospital in 2010 compared to 2007, which was assumed to be 100. Staff of a hospital where many patients made the transition to home-based care were more likely to agree with the following statements concerning home care perspectives “I started to consider that even cancer patients can be treated at home until the last moment of their life”, “I usually ask patients whether they wish to receive home-based care”, “We decided on coping strategies for sudden changes in the course of disease and a place to contact in advance”, and “I started to simplify treatment procedures, such as prescriptions during hospitalization for patients and their families to prepare for home-based care“.