PODCAST · health

Death and Dying

by Death and Dying

1. CHANGES IN HEALTH CARE RELATED TO DYING AND DEATH: a. Before the 1950s, patients commonly died at home in their own beds with assistance only from their family. b. From the 1950s to the 1980s, the health care system became highly mechanized, and dying occurred mostly in institutions, often with sophisticated equipment attached to the dying individual to prolong life. c. When diagnosis-related groups (DRGs) came into play in the early 1980s, the trend changed again. d. Today, in general, the only patients placed in hospital beds are those who are considered at risk for medical complications or who need hospital recovery time after surgery or special procedures. e. Many recuperating or terminally ill patients are discharged to home, a convalescent center, or a nursing home. g. Nurses who provide care to the terminally ill patient in the home health care setting have felt the impact of this development. h. At home, these patients receive intrave