Needs of Hospice Care and Quality of Life for Cancer Patients

Suh, In Sun; Shin, Mi Hwa; Hong, Se Hwa

Abstract

PURPOSE
This study investigated the relationship between the needs for hospice care and quality of life in cancer patients.
METHODS
Data were collected from 127 cancer patients hospitalized at a university hospital in Chonbuk between October, 2006 to March, 2007. Two instruments were used: cancer patients' need for hospice care, developed by Kang and Kim and quality of life developed by Tae et al.
RESULTS
The mean scores were 3.11 out of 4 for hospice care needs, and 5.25 out of 10 for quality of life. The correlation between needs for hospice care and quality of life was moderate and negative (r=-0.395, P<0.01). Among the four groups of needs, physical need was the most strongly correlated with quality of lifer (r=-0.388, P<0.01). The need for hospice care was significantly different according to participants' religion (t=6.02, P<0.05), and duration of disease (F=3.45, P<0.05). Quality of life was significantly different according to participants' monthly income (F=3.38, P<0.05). cancer stage (F=8.10, P<0.01) and chemotherapy (t=6.09, P=0.015).
CONCLUSION
The results suggested that the cancer patients' hospice care needs should be answered in order to improve their quality of life. While doing so, participants' characteristic need should also be considered.