Clinical Characteristics and Medical Utilization Patterns of Inpatient Hospice Patients in a Korean Medicine Hospital: A Retrospective Chart Review

Objectives: This study investigated the clinical characteristics and medical utilization patterns of terminally ill inpatients admitted to hospice center in Korean medicine(KM) hospital.Methods: The electronic medical records of terminally ill patients admitted to hospice center in KM hospital from September 2024 to December 2025 were retrospectively reviewed. Demographic characteristics, referral source, length of stay, and end-of-life information(The use of the dying room, physicians who declared death) were collected. Additionally, for patients hospitalized for more than 4 days, additional information(Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group(ECOG), Numeric Rating Scale(NRS), and Faces Pain Rating Scale(FPRS)) were investigated.Results: A total of 120 cases except 6 survivors were analyzed. Among 120 cases, 96 patients died in the hospital and 24 patients were discharged. The length of stay after admission was found to be within 7 days for 51.7% of patients and within 14 days for 77.5%. 79.2% of patients utilized the dying room. Declarations of death occurred more frequently at night and KM doctors were responsible for 88.5%. For patients hospitalized for 4 days or longer, the length of stay decreased as ECOG, NRS, and FPRS scores declined.Conclusions: The characteristics and utilization patterns of patients were similar to national hospice data. It was also confirmed that KM doctors played a specific role in end-of-life care, suggesting that they contribute to the provision of multidisciplinary hospice services. Further multi-center studies including diverse patient groups are deemed necessary.