Abstract
•List the similarities and differences in the quality of dying and death in LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ individuals receiving hospice care.•Describe the need for research in LGBTQ experiences in hospice care.•Discuss need for incorporating LGBTQ training for hospice providers. While there is evidence that lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) people experience health inequities when compared to the non-LGBTQ population, this phenomenon has not been adequately explored in hospice care. Understanding whether disparities exist at the end of life may assist health care providers in supporting LGBTQ patients and family members. The purpose of this study was to compare the quality of dying and death of LGBTQ people with non-LGBTQ people in order to determine whether the inequities found in other healthcare settings extend to hospice. A primarily quantitative comparative descriptive study was implemented to explore the difference between groups. The Quality of Dying and Death Version 3.2a Family Member/Friend After-Death Self-Administered Questionnaire was modified to exclude ICU-specific instructions to collect quantitative data via online surveys. This instrument contains 22 items measuring aspects of the end-of-life experience (QODD-22) and an additional single item rating the overall quality of dying and death (QODD-1). Family members and close friends of adults who died under hospice care in the previous five years were recruited. A total of 122 data sets (66 from family members of non-LGBTQ individuals and 56 from family members of LGBTQ individuals) were included in the final analysis. These results are from preliminary analysis, final analysis will be completed by February 2019. The non-LGBTQ group had eleven QODD-22 mean scores higher than the highest QODD-22 mean score in the LGBTQ group, indicating better quality of dying and death in the non-LGBTQ group across numerous aspects of the end-of-life experience. A comparison of QODD-1 scores between the LGBTQ and non-LGBTQ groups revealed statistically significant differences (p=0.035). Based on these findings, there is evidence that LGBTQ individuals experience a poorer quality end of life than non-LGBTQ individuals.
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