• Patient and Family’s Perspective of Hospice

    As nurses, we understand that hospice is a peaceful way for patients to transition from this world, but what about our patients’ and families’ perspective? I recently had a patient who, over the last few months, had a significant change in her health. She was diagnosed with cancer and ended up with two major surgeries in a three-month time frame. After the second surgery, the patient decided she could no longer endure the pain and wanted a hospice consult.  It was not surprising, as she was elderly, but what surprised me was this patient’s perception of hospice. She truly believed we would be euthanizing her the same way we euthanize…