title: Hospice use among African Americans, Asians, Hispanics, and Whites: implications for practice.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  This study examined the characteristics of individuals in hospice care by racial/ethnic groups.
  
  
  METHODS
  A total of 22,936 patients served by a hospice in Central Florida during a four-year period, from 2002 to 2006, were included. Of these, 80.6% were White, 9.6% were Black/African-American, 9.3% were Hispanic and 0.5% were Asian American/Pacific Islander. We examined the associations between the characteristics of hospice users and race/ethnicity, and change of hospice user characteristics over time using chi-square and ANOVA tests.
  
  
  RESULTS
  More females than males were represented. Spouse caregivers were most common for Whites (35%) and Asian/Pacific Islanders (36%). However, "other" (41%) caregivers were most frequent for African Americans and daughters (33%) were most often caregivers for Hispanics. Cancer was the primary diagnosis across the four groups. Racial/ethnic minorities were more likely to rely on Medicaid than Whites (10-70% vs. 4%) and African Americans were most likely to be transferred from hospital (57%), whereas Whites were referred from assisted living/nursing homes more frequently than others(16% vs. 7-10%).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  As the hospice settings become more racially/ethnically diverse, it is essential to attend to the different circumstances and needs of the various groups in providing optimal care.
authors.affiliation: School of Social Work, University of South Florida, Tampa, FL 33620, USA. icarrion@usf.edu
authors.forename: Iraida V
authors.initials: IV
authors.lastname: Carrion
authors.forename: Nan Sook
authors.initials: NS
authors.lastname: Park
authors.forename: Beom S
authors.initials: BS
authors.lastname: Lee
mesh_terms: D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D001741:Black or African American / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D000368:Aged; D001213:Asian / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D002648:Child; D002675:Child, Preschool; D005260:Female; D005431:Florida; D054625:Healthcare Disparities / Q000208:ethnology* / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D006630:Hispanic or Latino / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D044468:Native Hawaiian or Pacific Islander / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D017678:Sex Distribution; D044465:White People / Q000706:statistics & numerical data; D055815:Young Adult