Abstract
Past studies have shown that proportionately fewer Hispanics than Whites were admitted to hospice. Not many studies documented Hispanics' use of hospice service after hospice admission. The purpose of this study was to compare Hispanics' and Whites' utilization of hospice services. The design was a retrospective chart review completed in a Hispanic-majority city. Four Medicare-certified hospice agencies in the area participated by providing charts (N = 500) for review. Demographic/informational variables and service utilization variables were collected. Service utilization included length of service, total visits, and discipline-specific visits. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance with a level of significance set at .05. The results showed that ethnicity did not significantly influence length of service or total visits; however, Whites received more visits than Hispanics from social workers, aides, and spiritual counselors. Results were considered within the context of cultural value differences between Hispanics and Whites. Hospice providers can use the study information to develop patient-centered care for Hispanics.