Background Within the UK, over a quarter of a million people currently receive care from hospices either within hospice care facilities or within their own homes. In a difficult financial climate and uncertain funding support, independent Hospices need to reaffirm their impact and contribution to society. However, there is limited information on what outcomes patients, carers and families view as important. Here, we present findings from a systematic literature review collating the evidence.

Aims A systematic literature review was conducted to explore patients’, carers’ and family members’ experiences and perceptions of hospice services

Methods

• Literature searching

MethodsKey terms and Medical Subject Headings were implemented in a range of databases to identify studies and grey literature.

• Study selection

Titles and abstracts were screened against a criteria list and papers were chosen based on relevance to the research question.

• Quality assessment

Papers were assessed for quality using appropriate tools

• Data extraction and collation

Data from each included paper was fully screened, recorded and summarised

Results Pending as review still being undertaken at time of abstract submission

Wider study This review is part of a study funded by Knowledge Economy Skills Scholarship, a major European Convergence programme which offers collaborative research projects linked with a local company partner. The aim of the research is to explore the social value of hospices in North Wales. The Social Return on Investment framework will be utilised to quantify social and environmental values allowing for an understanding which extends beyond financial values from key stakeholder perspectives. A combination of qualitative narratives and quantitative measurements will be utilised including:

• Semi-structured interviews with staff

• Review of patient feedback

• Analysis of current hospice data

• Searching unit cost and social cost databases to source proxy values for outcomes.