Patient and Family Satisfaction with End-of-Life CareIn a large national study, Dr. Joan Teno and colleagues, conducted a mortality follow-back survey of family members or other knowledgeable informants representing 1578 decedents. A 2-stage probability sample was used to estimate end-of-life care outcomes for 1.97 million deaths from chronic illness in the United States in 2000 (Teno). The results were as follows:
While bereaved family members were most satisfied with end-of-life care provided by home hospice services, it is to be remembered that until today, most patients die in an institutional setting. Therefore there is a pressing need for palliative care in these settings in order to improve quality of care.
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