Abstract · In order to review the development of the nationwide palliative care the Hungarian Hospice- Palliative Association (Magyar Hospice-Palliatív Egyesület MHPE) sends a detailed online questionnaire to each hospice service provider every year. At the beginning of 2018 we contacted 84 care providers. In the questionnaire we asked them - among other things - about the form of hospice care, the number of patients, the period of care, the mortality data and about the service providing team and their qualifications. We paid special attention to the available resources and the main difficulties of the care providers. The complex analysis was facilitatied by the data from the National Health Insurance Fund (Nemzeti Egészségbiztosítási Adatkezelő NEAK), too. The results of the analysis do not only demonstrate the activities of the hospice care providers in details but they also enable recurrent yearly comparisons - https://hospice.hu/hospice-jelentesek

The review mainly demonstrates the hospice care data of 2017 on the basis of the previous years and sheds light on the main development tasks of 2018, as well.

Abstract · Communicating a diagnosis of cancer requires special prudence since the patient might immediately perceive it as an overwhelming stigma and the worried family could feel the same way, as well. Formerly the patient often wasn’t informed about the ill sounding diagnosis, it was disclosed to the family only. The patient at a later stage suddenly realized that they had been misled, and that often resulted in loss of confidence and in a conflict with the family and the attending physician. Act CLIV of 1997 on Health classified the right to information as a fundamental right of patients, which has mainly been interpreted that the diagnosis needs to be bluntly communicated to the patient.This generally causes a traumatic experience for the people concerned. Nowadays anyone can find out the diagnosis via the internet and usually obtains terrifying and distorted information, which leads to hopelessness and falters trust in the treatment. Patients have the right to know about their illness, but it is not obligatory to know everything about it. Doctor-patient communication must be based on trust while taking into account the interests and needs of the patient. Frank D. Ferris, Executive Director of Palliative Medicine at Ohio State University has presented a six-step protocol to Hungarian specialists of palliative care, which is the most appropriate way to carry out effective and patient-oriented communication.

Abstract · A good relationship between the patient and the doctor is really important in cancerous diseases because this illness necessitates long-term cooperation. The Doctor-Patient Relationship program of the Hungarian Hospice Foundation was launched 4 years ago to help patients, families/caregivers, and their doctors/nurses to build and maintain a good relationship. In general practice we find that patients acquire information only if they ask their doctors and nurses. Most patients cannot ask questions in a structured way, respecting the timeframe, but this skill can be developed. One of the most challenging things to communicate for doctors is that the curative treatments have come to an end; this may contribute greatly to why patients are sent to hospice too late. Involving the family in medical communication also needs improvement, the first international guideline regarding this has just been drawn up.

Abstract · Recruiting volunteers and helping hospice services working with them is one of the main roles of the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Association. This study is based on a presentation held at the Hungarian Hospice-Palliative Association’s XIIIth National Congress titled Volunteering Based on Foreign Model (Farkas, 2018). The aim of the presentation was to motivate, inspire, show opportunities and give new models to the hospice services on how foreign countries work with volunteers. The study focuses on recruiting, training roles and recreational opportunities for volunteers on web pages of foreign countries’ hospice services: four from North America and three from Western Europe. The main differences between the foreign countries and Hungary were recruiting volunteers by personal stories, training them to become grief counselors, including grief recovery to the hospice care, establishing volunteer communities, 24 hour patient care, protecting them by special recreational options and giving them personalized roles.