HOW THE VARIOUS ENVIRONMENTS AND SOCIOECONOMIC LEVELS OF END OF LIFE CARE SETTINGS IMPACT THE ABILITY OF HOSPICE NURSES TO EQUITABLY CARRY OUT THEIR RESPONSIBILITIES

Abstract

This is a study comparing how hospice nurses perceive disparities and barriers to care experienced in different environmental settings across socioeconomic levels. Hospice nurses have to provide care to patients in dramatically different settings with a wide range of support networks and available resources, so it is important to understand what challenges they face in providing the same quality of care in all places regardless of these varying factors. Understanding what barriers stand in the way of equitable care can help hospice companies determine how to best fill these gaps and support their nurses where they need it most. An online survey was sent to hospice nurses over 18 years old with experience in both nursing homes and private homes asking them to describe how their patients' socioeconomic status, families, caregivers, locations, and resources affected the ease with which they were able to carry out their responsibilities. Participants (N=11) were asked to compare types and quality of care settings, identify barriers in their field, and specify how various aspects of their job are impacted by these barriers and differences. The study found that it is easier for hospice nurses to provide care to patients with more personal resources and higher socioeconomic status, regardless of the type of setting they reside in. Additionally, there is no major distinction between the challenges caused by interactions with a patient's family versus with other care staff, but in both cases, conflicts of interest are seen more frequently when these support networks have less educational understanding about how hospice works. The overarching theme of the responses gathered was that the difficulty of providing care to patients depends greatly on individual circumstances, so care must be adapted to each patient accordingly.