| | Overview
Care initiation for hospice programs frequently includes being able to respond to patients and caregivers who are in crisis due to factors surrounding the hospice admission. These factors might include a new diagnosis, a rapid decline in clinical condition or caregiver anxieties. Quality of care for these patients is dependent on the hospice being able to anticipate the cause of the crisis and quickly respond to intervene in such a way that the crisis is resolved. Patients/caregivers who feel well supported at home are less likely to wind up with an unanticipated or unplanned admission to an acute care facility. Although only a small number of patients in hospice are discharged to an acute care facility (2.3-10 percent) these cases may reflect the need for more proactive interventions at the start of care. This module addresses crisis management both for newly admitted patients (crisis admission) and patients who have been on the hospice program (currently enrolled hospice patient).
Why Crisis Management? - Hospice professionals frequently encounter patients and caregivers in crisis.
- Symptoms of physical or psychosocial issues may emerge in the final days or hours.
- Crisis level services such as Continuous Home Care or General In Patient Care are required by the Medicare Conditions of Participation.
- Crisis admission and crisis care require a specialized skill set.
- The initial assessment may be a crisis visit.
- Patients who have been stable may enter a crisis due to uncontrolled symptoms.
How to Use These Resources:
Start with the training program, A Guide to Crisis Management, which offers an overview of resources available through the Crisis Management best practice topic area.
Explore additional crisis management resources, critical interventions and measurement and evaluation tools by clicking on the boxes above.
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