Abstract
The Korean government has implemented a pilot project that introduces a new type of hospice care program called “Consultative Hospice Care” (COHC) since August 2017. The COHC is a new type of hospice program for terminally ill patients in acute care wards, which is different from the Independent Hospice Unit (IHU) care. This study aimed to compare the characteristics of two groups of hospice patients: COHC care only and both IHU care and COHC groups. Healthcare claim data from 1 April 2018 to 31 March 2020 were retrieved from the HIRA data warehouse system. The main outcome variable was patients receiving COHC only or both COHC and IHU care. The total number of hospice patients was 6482. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was used. Of 6482 hospice care recipients, 3789 (58.5%) received both COHC and IHU care. Those who received both COHC and IHU care were significantly associated with several factors: period from the first evaluation to death (adjusted odds ratio (aOR), 1.026; 95% confidence internal (CI), 1.024–1.029; p < 0.0001), disease severity measured by the Charlson Comorbidity Index (aOR, 1.032; CI, 1.017–1.047; p < 0.0001), consciousness (aOR, 3.654; CI, 3.269–4.085; p < 0.0001), and awareness of end-stage disease (aOR, 1.422; CI, 1.226–1.650; p < 0.0001). The COHC program had a critical role in hospice delivery to terminally ill patients. Policymakers on hospice care need to establish plans that promote efficient hospice care delivery systems.
Highlights
The Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea has implemented a pilot project that introduces a new type of hospice care program called “consultation-based hospices”(“Consultative Hospice Care”, Hereafter “COHC”) since August 2017
The COHC is a new type of hospice program for terminally ill patients in an acute care unit, which is different from hospice care in an Independent Hospice Unit (IHU)
This study confirmed that more than half of hospice patients used both types of hospice care and that COHC played a critical role in hospice patient delivery systems
Summary
The Ministry of Health and Welfare in South Korea has implemented a pilot project that introduces a new type of hospice care program called “consultation-based hospices”(“Consultative Hospice Care”, Hereafter “COHC”) since August 2017. In the COHC, hospice care team is providing hospice care and consultations to patients with terminal illness in acute care units [3,4]. The IHU is one of the hospital units that implement professional hospice care programs. This program was authorized to be covered by the national health insurance program in July 2015. The other is the hospice care provided at home or in community settings by the hospice team dispatched from a hospital. This program is generally called “home-based hospice care” [5,6] or “home hospice care” [7]
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