Conclusions
A picture of patients from the acute care setting coming into hospice was captured from the research. Study results indicate that HF patients entering hospice care have multiple symptoms requiring management, many of which cause considerable distress. Noteworthy is the finding that symptoms with the greatest reported severity were not necessarily those with the greatest distress, as well as the correlation between symptom distress and depressive symptoms. Clinicians in hospice may consider specifically focusing part of their assessment and management of symptoms by first addressing symptom severity and distress.