Research in palliative care and hospice populations is important for improving quality of care, quality of life, and provider understanding of individuals at the end of life. However, this research involves many potential challenges. This review seeks to inform and assist researchers targeting to design studies targeting hospice and palliative care patients by presenting a thorough review of the published literature. This review covers English-language articles published from 1990 through 2009 listed in the PsycInfo, Medline, or CINAHL research databases under relevant keywords. Articles on pediatric hospice were not included. Issues discussed include study design, informed consent, and recruitment for participants. Synthesized recommendations for researchers in these populations are presented.

the direction of Charles Gelso. Requests for reprints should be sent to Daniel McKitrick, Counseling and Psychological Services, Box

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This experiment assessed the effects on initial expectancies of whether counseling was time-limited (12 sessions), of the interaction of time limits with the chronicity of the client's problem, and of the rationale given for time limits (time limits effective/appropriate vs. a long waiting list). Eighty female college students were asked to place themselves into the role of a client they saw interacting with a counselor on film. Pre-and postfilm written material manipulated the independent variables. It was found that subjects in the chronic (vs. acute) problem condition had the most negative expectancies for the counseling relationship and outcome when the counseling was time-limited (vs. unlimited). While the rationale for time limits did not affect the primary dependent variables, post hoc analyses of subjects' essay responses indicated that the waiting-list rationale stimulated more negative expectancies than the time-limits-effective/appropriate rationale. Contrary to predictions, time limits did not affect subjects' expectancies for client activity and responsibility and for counselor activity.Long waiting lists have been a perennial problem for mental health agencies. One method of dealing with that problem is to limit the duration of counseling. Some research does suggest that time-limited approaches can be as effective as open-ended ones (Munro & Bach, 1975; Shlien, Mosak, & Driekurs, 1962). While preliminary evidence on the effect of time limits is positive, and although the general topic has been called a "natural" for research (Meltzoff & Kornreich, 1970), little research exists on a number of crucial aspects of time-limiting counseling.The present experiment is part of a program of field and analogue research at the University of Maryland on time-limited counseling (Gelso, Note 1; Keilson, Note 2). It is an analogue study designed to examine with precision questions that either could not readily be studied in a counseling agency, or that are being studied in a less controlled manner in the field situation. Of interest was the initial impact of time limits on client expectancies. Three hypotheses were derived from both existing literature and research in progress: (a) The use of time limits will increase clientsubjects' expectancies for client activity and re-The authors wish to express appreciation to Jean A. Carter for her thoughtful comments about this revision.

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