Health Disparities in Hospice Utilization and Length of Stay in a Diverse Population With Lung Cancer

Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer deaths globally. Individuals are diagnosed at an advanced stage with limited life expectancy.

To explore potential health disparities in hospice utilization and length of stay (LOS) in a diverse sample of patients with lung cancer.

Demographic and clinical information as well as data for hospice utilization and LOS was extracted from electronic health records. Data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, χ² tests, and an analysis of variance test.

Data from 242 patients were analyzed. In the sample, 33% (n = 80) were Black and 51% (n = 124) lived in a rural county. At the time of data collection, 67% of the sample was deceased and 36% (n = 86) chose to enroll in hospice. No disparities were found for race, age, gender, or rural/urban dwellers in hospice enrollment. No disparities were found for race, gender, or rural/urban dwellers for hospice LOS. Age was associated with hospice LOS ( P = .004). Those who were older were more likely to have a longer LOS.

Hospice utilization and LOS were low for all groups with lung cancer in a geographically and racially diverse region of the United States. Given the rates of mortality in lung cancer, discussions about the goals and benefits of hospice care may be beneficial and should be part of an ongoing dialogue throughout the disease trajectory.