RESUMEN
The hospice philosophy involves making terminal patients as comfortable as possible, empowering them with control of the time they have left, but neither hastening nor postponing death. The passage of Oregon's Death with Dignity Act in November of 1994, and the failure of the 1997 ballot measure to repeal it, made physician-assisted suicide another option for terminally ill people in that state, and focused increased attention on a conflict seemingly inherent in the hospice philosophy. We conducted interviews with 60 hospice providers, 43 in Oregon and, for comparison, 17 in the northeast, for their responses to this situation. The data reported here reflect some of the social and individual influences that come to bear as hospice providers attempt to resolve their dilemma.
Asunto(s)
Conducta de Elección , Cuidados Paliativos al Final de la Vida , Suicidio Asistido , Actitud Frente a la Muerte , Cuidados Paliativos al Final de la Vida/legislación & jurisprudencia , Cuidados Paliativos al Final de la Vida/psicología , Humanos , Entrevistas como Asunto , New England , Oregon , Atención Dirigida al Paciente , Suicidio Asistido/legislación & jurisprudencia , Suicidio Asistido/psicología , Estados UnidosRESUMEN
Hospice is often discussed as a social movement that is attempting to change not only the way particular patients experience dying, but the nature of death and dying for society as a whole. Participant observation research was conducted in the home care components of and a free-standing inpatient facility associated with several northeastern hospice organizations over the course of almost three years. The data are reported using negotiated order theory as a framework for understanding the hospice movement, and tactical socialization is identified as a major strategy of hospice workers for accomplishing their goals.
