Hospice and palliative care

Research Products & Journal Articles

Browse the full list of research publications on this topic completed by the Rural Health Research Centers.

Products – Freely accessible products include policy briefs, fact sheets, full reports, chartbooks, and interactive data websites.

Journal Articles – Articles in peer-reviewed journals may require a subscription or affiliation with a subscribing library. For these publications, Gateway lists the article citation, a brief summary, a link to additional information and access to the full-text of the article, if available.

2017

Supply-Side Differences Only Modestly Associated With Inpatient Hospitalizations Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the Last Six Months of Life
Journal Article
University of South Carolina Rural Health Research Center
Date: 11/2017
This study examined rural and urban Medicare beneficiaries and inpatient hospitalizations during their last six months of life. The study concluded that care at the end of life is much the same for rural and urban Medicare decedents.
Rural-Urban Variations in Medicare Live Discharge Patterns From Hospice, 2012-2013
Policy Brief
Rapid Response to Requests for Rural Data Analysis
Date: 09/2017
This brief 1) provides an overview of the geographic distribution of "freestanding" (i.e., rather than those co-located in a hospital, home health agency, or skilled nursing facility) rural and urban hospices and, 2) explores live discharge rates for hospices operating in rural versus urban areas.
A Positive Association Between Hospice Profit Margin and the Rate at Which Patients Are Discharged Before Death
Journal Article
North Carolina Rural Health Research and Policy Analysis Center
Date: 07/2017
The links between the increasing live discharge rate from hospice and the quality of care is examined.

2015

Perspectives of Rural Hospice Directors
Policy Brief
North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
Date: 03/2015
Rural hospice care is under pressure by a variety of factors that are reviewed in this document. However, a central core element of rural hospice remains the strong sense of community that is embodied in the system and design of care. This policy brief is the result of a national phone survey of rural hospice directors or key staff in 47 states.

2013

Hospice Workforce: An Annotated Review of the Literature
North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
Date: 11/2013
This report contains an annotated review of hospice workforce literature published between 2000 and 2013. The review was completed to help identify hospice provider types for a hospice workforce study to be completed by the Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center.
Rural Hospice in the United States: A Review of the Literature
North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
Date: 10/2013
This review explores the current environment of rural hospice care in the United States. It provides a discussion of the current structure of hospice services as well as a formal review of current (2000-2013) rural research on the topic.
Rural Hospice in the United States: An Annotated Review of the Literature
North Dakota and NORC Rural Health Reform Policy Research Center
Date: 10/2013
This report provides an annotated review of hospice literature published between 2000 and 2013, including resources that have addressed rural hospice care, access, and utilization. The information begins with an overview of hospice organizations and agencies cited most frequently, along with a discussion of their most recent research.