Eight Signs Your Patients Could Benefit from Hospice

Signs Patients Need Hospice

Written by Amedisys

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Hospice care addresses the patient and family’s physical, psychosocial, emotional and spiritual needs as the patient’s disease progresses. If you have a patient with a life expectancy of six months or less, hospice may be the answer.

Here are eight common findings in hospice-appropriate patients:

  1. Stage IV cancer and/or cancer that has metastasized and are not seeking curative treatment
  2. Continuous O2 and/or have O2 saturation on room air of 88% or less
  3. Ejection fraction of 20% or less in cardiac patients
  4. Have had three or more ER visits and/or hospitalizations in the past six months
  5. No desire or willingness to continue dialysis treatment
  6. Albumin level of 2.5 or less
  7. Severe dementia and other advanced neurological diseases that result in incontinence, inability to ambulate without assistance and/or inability to effectively communicate
  8. Unable to eat or drink; discontinued or refused feeding tube

Refer a Patient

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