The Quality of Dying and Death in a Residential Hospice

Abstract

ContextResidential hospices may be an optimal compromise between home and hospital settings for end-of-life care, but there has been little systematic research regarding the quality of dying and death in such locations. ObjectivesThe objective of this study was to assess the quality of dying and death of patients who received end-of-life care in a residential hospice and its relationship to hospice length of stay (LOS) and prior receipt of palliative care. MethodsA total of 100 caregivers of patients who died in a residential hospice in downtown Toronto, Canada, were recruited four to six months after patient's death. The quality of dying and death was measured, based on interviews with bereaved caregivers, using the Quality of Dying and Death (QODD) questionnaire. ResultsThe overall mean QODD score was 68.85 ± 11.62, which is in the intermediate (“neither good nor bad”) range (30–70) of the scale. The lowest QODD subscale score was on the Transcendence subscale, which evaluates death-related concerns; this was 59.48 ± 25.37, with ratings in 14.6% of the sample in the “terrible to poor” (0–29) range. QODD scores were higher for patients with hospice LOS of more than one week (72.21 ± 9.64) than for those with a shorter LOS (60.38 ± 11.92) (P < 0.001). ConclusionOverall quality of dying and death was perceived as average to above average, in an urban residential hospice, although death-related distress was present in a substantial minority of patients. The association of better QODD with hospice LOS of more than one week may be due to better clinical status on admission and/or longer duration of time that is needed to achieve optimal outcomes.