Revisiting perceptions of quality of hospice care: managing for the ultimate referral.
Hospice services provided in the final months of life are delivered through complex interpersonal relationships between caregivers, patients, and families. Often, service value and quality are defined by these interpersonal interactions. This understanding provides hospice leaders with an enormous opportunity to create processes that provide the optimal level of care during the last months of life. The authors argue that the ultimate referral is attained when a family member observes the care of a loved one, and the family member conveys a desire to receive the same quality of services their loved one received at that facility. The point of this article is to provide evidence that supports the methods to ultimately enhance the patient's and family's experience and increase the potential for the ultimate referral.
College of Business Administration, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Richard
R
Churchman
College of Business Administration, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Grady S
GS
York
College of Business Administration, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA beth.woodard@belmont.edu.
Beth
B
Woodard
College of Business Administration, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Charles
C
Wainright
College of Business Administration, Belmont University, Nashville, TN, USA.
Mary
M
Rau-Foster
D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D003258:Consumer Behavior; D005190:Family / Q000523:psychology*; D005260:Female; D017051:Hospice Care / Q000523:psychology*; D006801:Humans; D007588:Job Satisfaction; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D017060:Patient Satisfaction; D010465:Perception; D011368:Professional-Family Relations; D011369:Professional-Patient Relations; D011787:Quality of Health Care; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors
employee satisfaction; hospice; patient and family satisfaction; patient-centered care; quality of care