title: End-of-life care in Hancock County, Maine: a community snapshot.
abstract: This study presents a model for identifying end-of-life concerns in 1 rural community: Hancock County, Maine. Focus groups and structured interviews were held with primary care physicians, hospice staffs, clergy, hospice board members, long-term care facility staffs, and families of patients who had died either with or without hospice services. A list of suggestions for action within the community was generated from the interviews. Specific ideas targeted for implementation as a result of this project were educational sessions for long-term care facility staff, hospital grand rounds for primary care physicians, collaboration to bring information to the general public, stronger liaisons between long-term care facility and hospice staffs, and investigation of the development of a dedicated hospice facility. This is a simple, easily accomplished model to evaluate hospice needs in a small community.
authors.affiliation: Ellsworth Family Practice, Ellsworth, Maine, USA.
authors.forename: Susan G
authors.initials: SG
authors.lastname: Ostertag
authors.forename: Walter B
authors.initials: WB
authors.lastname: Forman
mesh_terms: D016223:Advance Directives; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D001291:Attitude of Health Personnel; D001294:Attitude to Health; D002423:Cause of Death; D003256:Community Participation / Q000379:methods / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology; D005260:Female; D017144:Focus Groups; D019538:Health Care Surveys; D006295:Health Resources / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007902:Length of Stay / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D008281:Maine / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D020380:Needs Assessment / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D011379:Prognosis; D019035:Rural Health Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology; D017749:Total Quality Management / Q000458:organization & administration