• Journal of Hospice and Palliative Care
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• v.21 no.3
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• pp.75-83
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• 2018

Purpose: To provide effective palliative care, it is important to predict not only patients' life expectancy but their discharge status at a time of inpatient admission to a hospice care facility. This study was aimed to identify meaningful life expectancy indicators that can be used to predict patients' discharge status on admission to the facility. Methods: Among 568 patients who were admitted to the hospice ward of P hospital from April 1, 2016 through December 31, 2017, 377 terminal cancer patients were selected. This retrospective cohort study was performed by using performance status, symptoms and signs, socioeconomic status, laboratory findings on admission. Results: Alive discharge was associated with a good performance status that was measured with the Karnofsky and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) scales and the Global health and Mental status. Less anorexia, dyspnea, dysphagia and fatigue were also associated with symptoms and signs. Associated laboratory findings were close to normal Complete Blood Cell (CBC) count, Liver Function Test (LFT) and Blood Urea Nitrogen (BUN). Conclusion: Our findings suggest that Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS), ECOG, Global health, Mental status, anorexia, dyspnea, dysphagia, fatigue, CBC, LFT, BUN are meaningful indicators when predicting discharge status for inpatients. Further investigation is warranted.

• Journal of The Korea Institute of Healthcare Architecture
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.39-51
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• 2012

Purpose: Hospitals for patients and their guardians can, from the concept of healing, be removed from just gaining profits, but suggest a future-oriented direction for the hospital. Accordingly, there have been studies related to the selection of hospitals, but most were related to preference and satisfaction, and only recently did research from the concept of tradeoffs of factors for selection began to grow rapidly. Methods: From this context, this study evaluates the level of importance for factors of selecting hospitals using the analytical hierarchy process, and identifies the correlation with users, gender, age group, and outpatient features in order to identify the difference of awareness among different groups for selecting hospitals. In the factors for selection 26 factors in six categories were set through studies of preceding research, and after surveying 144 people, the following results were attained. Results: 1) The overall analysis results were found in the order of medical level, medical service, and fame, and low for facilities, which is similar to the cases of preceding studies. 2) For user analysis, it was similar between patients and guardians, but there was a slight difference in awareness among nurses, who are also medical service providers. Nurses showed relatively high level of importance in direct factors such as medical technologies and medical services, while guardians of patients showed higher importance in indirect factors such as facility environments and convenience. 3) Women showed higher assessments of importance levels in environmental factors, while men in physical factors. 4) The older the age group, the lower level importance there was on medical level, while the importance on fame reduced the further the commute to the hospital was.