Betreuung in Hospice-Einrichtungen: Hospice-Tätigkeiten

The structures dedicated to palliative care should be part of an integrated network of care, realized through the work of specialized multidisciplinary teams, structured mainly on home care for the patient and his family. When this form of assistance is not practicable, hospitalization is provided in structures called Hospice, low technology but with a very high level of welfare benefits. Law no. 38/2010, which identifies two assistance networks that must respond to the needs and requirements of patients in need of palliative care and those suffering from chronic pain, provides for the activation by the Ministry of Health of a specific survey of the activities provided with the activation of a special monitoring system. The national guidelines for monitoring hospice care, referred to in the Ministerial Decree of 6 June 2012, were transposed by the Autonomous Province of Bolzano with Resolution 688/2013. There were 673 entries in Hospice during 2014, 278 of which were in Day Hospice. The number of care days provided was 7,007 (943 in Day Hospice) for an average duration of care of 15.4 days. Patients diagnosed with oncology represented almost all the accesses in Hospice (90.2%) and pain related to neoplasia was the clinical sign/symptom that characterized in most cases the taking charge (48.9%). Other important clinical signs and symptoms of taking charge were other dyspnoea and respiratory abnormalities (11.0%) and other malaise and fatigue (14.0%). In 61.4% of cases the non-clinical reason that characterized the taking charge was the absence of the care-giver, in 29.1% the inadequacy of the home. The macro-performance that most succinctly describes the assistance provided is precisely pain control (56.9%), followed by the control of dyspnoea (11.4%) and the control of gastro-enteric symptoms (8.6%).