Inpatient Hospice Keeps Patients in Single Location for Care at Hackensack University Medical Center
Scatter Bed Method Eases Patient Comfort During End-of-Life Care and Increases Referrals
Inpatient hospice at Hackensack University Medical Center allows a patient to receive hospice services when 24-hour nursing care is available without a patient changing locations. The program applies a scatter bed model, in collaboration with Visiting Health Service, in which a patient is offered greater comfort and ease at the end of life when hospice caregivers come to them.
With the model, patients can be admitted to hospice care at any bed in a hospital building, including ER or ICU.
The following patient presentations may trigger a General Inpatient (GIP) level of hospice care:
- Pain or symptom crisis not managed by changes in treatment in the current setting or that requires frequent medication adjustments and monitoring
- Intractable nausea or vomiting
- Advanced open wounds requiring changes in treatment and close monitoring
- Unmanageable respiratory distress
- Delirium with behavior issues
- Sudden decline necessitating intensive nursing intervention
- Imminent death – only if skilled nursing needs are present
Since the inception of inpatient hospice, Hackensack University Medical Center has experienced a significant rise in referrals. Providers expressed feeling more comfortable referring patients, and families responded positively to patients staying in the same bed and location, with both hospice and hospital nurses checking in to make sure they are comfortable.
Learn more about innovative geriatric care at Hackensack University Medical Center.
