“Who You Are and Where You Live Matters”: Hospice Care in New York City During COVID-19 Perspectives on Hospice and Social Determinants: A Rapid Qualitative Analysis

Abstract

Context:

Social determinants of health (SDOH) impacted the quality of home hospice care provided during the COVID-19 pandemic. Perspectives from professionals who provided care identify challenges and lessons learned from their experience.

Objective:

To examine hospice professionals’ perspectives of how SDOH affected the delivery of high-quality home hospice care in New York City (NYC) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

We conducted semistructured interviews with 30 hospice professionals who delivered care to home hospice patients during the COVID-19 pandemic in NYC using a qualitative descriptive design. Purposive sampling was used to recruit professionals from a range of disciplines including physicians, advanced practice providers, nurses, social workers, chaplains, and hospice administration and management. Participants worked for one of two large NYC metro hospices and one outpatient palliative care practice serving the five boroughs of NYC and the surrounding suburbs. Rapid qualitative analysis was used to identify themes.

Results:

Thirty hospice professionals were interviewed, spanning a variety of clinical and administrative roles. Most (21 out of 30) reported that social determinants affected access and/or delivery of equitable hospice care. Two key themes emerged from interviews: (1) SDOH exist and affect the delivery of high-quality care and (2) disparities were exacerbated during the COVID-19 pandemic resulting in barriers to care. Subthemes outline barriers described by hospice professionals: decreased hospice enrollment, telehealth challenges, resulting in deficient patient/family education, shortages of nursing assistants in some neighborhoods, and diminished overall quality of hospice care for some patients. SDOH created barriers to hospice care through neighborhood factors, resource barriers, and system challenges.

Conclusion:

SDOH provide a context to understand disparity in the provision of hospice care. COVID-19 exacerbated these conditions. Addressing multidimensional barriers created by SDOH is key in creating high-quality and equitable hospice care, particularly during a crisis.