This report provides nationally representative data on policies, storage, and implementation of advance directives (ADs) in home health and hospice (HHH) agencies in the United States using the National Home and Hospice Care Survey. Federally mandated ADs policies were followed in >93% of all agencies. Nearly all agencies stored ADs in a file at the agency, but only half stored them at the pati...

This review describes the Home Observation for Measurement of the Environment (HOME). After describing the structure of the instrument, it shows how it has been used successfully in studies on normally developing children and on samples drawn from high-risk populations. These are followed by studies showing how the HOME has been used to evaluate interventions. Although most interventions are no...

Primary objective: Understanding the aspects of the home food environment of children and adolescents such as the availability, accessibility, and visibility of home healthy and unhealthy foods and the frequency and quality of family meals is necessary for developing direct interventions for weight management. This review examined the literature on associations of home food environment includin...

OBJECTIVES To compare discrepancies in drug histories among patients acutely admitted to different hospital wards, classify the discrepancies according to their potential clinical impact and identify appropriate selection criteria for patients that should be subject to a detailed drug history at admission. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SETTING Two gastrointestinal surgery wards and one geri...

OBJECTIVE This report presents national estimates of the organizational characteristics of home health and hospice care agencies in 2007. Comparisons of organizational characteristics and provision of selected services are made by agency type. A comparison of selected characteristics between 1996 and 2007 is also provided to highlight changes that have occurred leading to the current compositio...

Background The healthcare system in the United States has been plagued by service limitations imposed by financial constraints. Hospice is no exception, and hospice providers must continually seek out ways to provide cost-effective care. In response to this environment, many hospices are making a concerted effort to find efficient, low expenditure approaches to providing care without compromisi...

PURPOSE The aim of hospice care is to provide the best possible quality of life both for people approaching the end of life and for their families and carers. The Korean government has been implementing a pilot project for hospital hospice services and trying to develop the national hospice system. To assist in the development of the Korean hospice system, the Korean government supported the pr...

As the Korean government's recognition of the importance of hospice service grows, the government has initiated a variety of hospice services in Korea. Each hospice organization has shown a significant difference in its health care delivery methods, constitution and care content. Developing a clinical protocol is essential for establishing standardized hospice services. A preliminary protocol w...

AIM To explore patients' and family caregivers' experiences and perceptions of Hospice at Home care. BACKGROUND The public indicate a preference to be cared for and to die at home. This has inherent challenges, with a key factor being the family caregiver. Supporting end-of-life care at home has resulted in the expansion of Hospice at Home services. A wide configuration of services exists wit...

Executive Summary Introduction Definition and Models of Home Care General Goals of Home Care Establishing the Need for Home Care Services Medical Diagnoses and Therapies Commonly Requiring Home Care Guidelines for Referral for Home Care Needs of Respiratory Home Care Patients Skills and Competencies Expected of Home Care Providers Episodic Home Health Hospice Home Medical Equipment Companies Ch...