Browsing by Subject "Hospices"
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Item Provision and utilization of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) in Texas hospices(2012-05) Olotu, Busuyi Sunday; Brown, Carolyn M., Ph. D.; Lawson, Kenneth A.; Barner, Jamie C.The purpose of this study was to describe the extent and nature of CAM services that are provided and used in Texas hospices. The study investigated the significance of hospice setting characteristics such as age, geographic location, agency type, profit orientation, Medicare certification, and number of patients served as they relate to the likelihood of offering CAM, using a robust methodological and analytical strategy. Data was collected via self-administered mail surveys to 369 hospice directors in the state of Texas. A total usable response rate of 35.7% was obtained after an initial and one follow-up mail-out. A majority (N = 62, 56.4%) of hospices provided at least one type of CAM to their clients; however, a sizeable proportion of patients did not utilize the provided CAMs. The most frequently offered CAMs included massage, music, relaxation, spiritual healing and pet therapies with females and non-Hispanic whites being the most frequent users of these CAM services. Among CAM providers, short length of stay and funding were the primary obstacles to CAM provision, with most hospices relying on a combination of general hospice funds and volunteers to sustain the delivery of CAM services. The odds of offering CAM in ‘not-for-profit’ hospices were approximately four times higher than in ‘for-profit’ hospices (OR = 3.77, p = 0.022), while the odds of offering CAM increased by 13% for every 100 patients served by hospices (OR = 1.131, p = 0.015). Other hospice setting characteristics were not significantly related to CAM provision. In conclusion, a majority of hospices offered CAM services to their clients, although many patients are not utilizing these services. This observation might be connected with the fact that most CAM services are currently not being reimbursed through the Medicare Hospice Benefit, a government program that a majority of hospices depend upon for the coverage of substantial portions of their end-of-life services. Nevertheless, our study showed that CAM provision is related to the number of patients served and profit orientation status, but is not related to other measured characteristics of hospices.Item Strategic planning in hospice organizations and the higher education needs of hospice administrators(Texas Tech University, 1994-12) Roark, Charles E.Hospice administration is a new field of practice. It has not yet developed its own research and education foundations; consequently, the practitioners of the field often do not have the professional knowledge needed for current and continued hospice operation. The goals for this research were to establish baseline data on hospice organizations, to determine for the first time the professional education status of hospice administrators, to develop and validate a strategic planning model for hospices, and to guide the development of higher education courses related to strategic planning for allied health professionals. The research methodology for this project relied upon descriptive and general systems research designs. An Executive Director Planning Questionnaire containing questions related to hospice demographic information, administrator characteristics, education, needs and status, and hospice planning modes was sent in 1993 to all 1,500 hospice chief executive officers. The Questionnaire also asked these officers to validate two strategic planning models for use in hospices.