LAUSR

Aim of the study: To assess pain severity and stress level in home hospice and in-patient hospice patients, and to present psychological strategies taken by patients and their impact on pain sensations and stress level. Material and methods: The study covered 62 adult patients under in-patient and home hospice care. The method used in this study was a diagnostic survey using the Coping Strategy Questionnaire (CSQ), Distress Thermometer and Numerical Rating Scale (NRS). Results: More than half of the patients 62.9% (n = 39) were treated with strong opioids. The study showed that the most common causes of stress among hospice patients were problems within the physical sphere, i.e. fatigue (74.19%), sleep problems (52.8%), and pain (36.8%), in terms of practical problems, housing difficulties (48.39%), in terms of emotional problems, sadness (72.58%), worry (67.72%) and anxiety (53.23%), while religious or spiritual problems most often concerned the loss of interest in everyday matters (29.03%) or relations with God (20.97%). The hospice patients experienced moderate pain (2.39/10 pts) and stress (4.08/10 pts). A higher level of pain was reported by home hospice patients (3.32/10 pts) much more often than by in-patient hospice patients (1.45/10 pts).