Mean ± SD pain NRS values of the entire group were 2.58 ± 2.61 on day 1 and 1.40 ± 1.72 on day 7 (P = 0.002). Restricting the analysis to patients with moderate to severe pain at the time of hospice admission, results were even more significant. In fact, mean ± SD pain NRS was 5.51 ± 1.24 for patients with pain ≥4 at admission and 1.76 ± 1.91 for the same patients after 7 days (P < 0.001). A significant increase in the number of patients receiving morphine was observed from day 1 to day 7 (24 to 41, respectively, P = 0.001) and in those receiving drugs via parenteral routes (subcutaneous or intravenous) from 10 to 27 (P = 0.002) CONCLUSIONS: Admission to a hospice and the hospice environment led to a significant reduction in reported pain intensity for the patients included in this study, mainly those with moderate to severe pain at the time of admission. This decrease in pain was accompanied by a significant increase in the use of morphine, especially via parenteral routes, but not by a higher mean equivalent daily dose of oral morphine per patient.