The need for palliative care services in a general hospital.
A population census in a major Sydney teaching hospital showed that, at any one time, between 5% and 10% of inpatients were in the terminal stages of their disease and, thus, were in need of palliative care. These needs challenge conventional patterns of practice in large hospitals and illustrate the magnitude of the problems arising from the generally observed trend towards hospitalization of the dying.
James
M L
ML
Gebski
V J
VJ
Gunz
F W
FW
D006769:Hospitals, General; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care; D010347:Patient Care Planning; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires