Religious Preference and Hospice Choice.

Abstract

This article will employ a database from a large hospice provider with offices in 16 states to examine the impact of religious preference on hospice choice. Little work has been done on this issue, even though religion is the only social institution that specifically addresses the end of life. Hospice work, in particular, has drawn little attention despite it effecting millions of patients and their families. Of all the medical subspecialties, hospice is one of the most effected by society's views on death and religious views of dying. It is also the only government-funded medical service that requires religious support be made available to patients. Our hypothesis is that certain religious groups have a predisposition against end-of-life interventions and will be less likely to utilize hospice. This impacts a multibillion dollar a year industry that supplies hospice service to millions of patients, and our research points to one major religious group not accessing their hospice benefit at the same rate as other denominations.