Program overview Analysis of a Hospital-Based Hospice Program For Terminally Ill Cancer Patients Detailing patient needs to understand complex programs

The present paper describes a program analysis of a hospital-based program for terminally ill cancer patients. Using a manage-ment information system developed for collaborative use across all psychosocial care pro-viders in the hospital, it was possible to detail program characteristics and patient variables important to the understanding of a complex pro-gram. The study Hospice has been defined as a “medically directed, multidisci-plinary program providing skill-ed care of an appropriate nature for terminally ill patients and their families to live as fully as possible until they die.”1 The hospice movement, which has grown and developed in the United States, is now confronting the next issue in its acceptance as an integral part of the health care system: an increasing interest in methods for evaluating the effi-ciency and efficacy of these ser-vices.2 Spiraling medical costs have increased program ad-ministrators ’ awareness of the importance of considering the economic impact of all such pro-grams. However, evaluating a hospice program within an economic model poses a number of conceptual and methodo-logical difficulties. Methodological complexities include the large individual dif-ferences in the time between diagnosis of terminal illness and death. In addition, in contrast with other medically-focused treatments, extending life is not the desired outcome. Therefore, the criteria for defining a good hospice program is very different from, forexample, the criteria fo