 |
|
New study shows palliative care programs surging trend in US hospitals
December 12, 2005Academic medical centers and not-for-profit hospitals take the lead for-profit hospitals lag behind
A study released today in the Journal of Palliative Medicine confirmed that palliative care programs continue to be a rapidly growing trend in U.S. hospitals - a trend widely regarded to be an improvement in the quality of care of advanced, chronic illness. Researchers at the Mount Sinai Medical Center and the American Hospital Association (AHA) report that the number of palliative care programs increased from 632 (15% of hospitals) in 2000 to 1,027 (25% of hospitals) in 2003-a 63% increase in only three years.
"This is a win-win for both patients and hospitals. Palliative care programs provide quality, efficient and cost-effective care focused directly on our sickest and most complex patients. Hospitals recognize that the cost of not providing this type of care is just too high," said Dr. Sean Morrison, one of the study's authors and Vice-Chair of Research, Department of Geriatrics at the Mount Sinai Medical Center.
Although growth occurred nationwide, larger hospitals, not-for-profit hospitals, academic medical centers and VA hospitals were more likely to have a program compared to other hospitals. The New England, Pacific, and Mountain regions of the country were also much more likely to have programs.
The goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and ensure the best possible quality of life for people facing advanced chronic and life-threatening illness. It is provided alongside all other appropriate curative treatment. Hospital palliative care programs have been associated with improvements in both healthcare quality and healthcare costs.
By 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be over 65 and most will eventually have one or more chronic illnesses. "Patient demands are changing. People want quality of life and relief from suffering. Usually palliative care programs are flooded with referrals once word gets out that a program has been started," commented Dr. Diane Meier, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and one of the study's authors.
The study was compiled using the most recent data (2003) from the AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals 2005. It represents an update of an earlier report published in 2001 and provides the first follow-up to Means to a Better End: A Report on Dying in America Today (November 2002). Key findings included:
- Palliative care programs are more readily available to people in hospitals in the Northeast, Pacific, and Mountain regions than in other regions of the country.
- Larger hospitals, academic medical centers, not-for-profit hospitals (including those affiliated with the Catholic Church) and VA hospitals are significantly more likely to develop palliative care programs as compared to city, county and state and for-profit hospitals.
- Hospitals are more likely to have a palliative care program if they own their own hospice.
- Hospitals are more likely to have a palliative care program if they have an American College of Surgeons cancer program.
Factors that were cited as possible reasons for the rapid growth in palliative care programs were:
- The increase in the numbers and costs of caring for chronically ill Medicare patients. Palliative care programs have been proven to reduce costs.
- Studies that have shown inadequate treatment of pain and symptoms, poor communication and coordination of care.
- And, the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been invested in the growth of the field by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and others.
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
The goal of palliative care is to relieve suffering and ensure the best possible quality of life for people facing advanced chronic and life-threatening illness. It is provided alongside all other appropriate curative treatment. Hospital palliative care programs have been associated with improvements in both healthcare quality and healthcare costs.
By 2030, 20% of the U.S. population will be over 65 and most will eventually have one or more chronic illnesses. "Patient demands are changing. People want quality of life and relief from suffering. Usually palliative care programs are flooded with referrals once word gets out that a program has been started," commented Dr. Diane Meier, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care and one of the study's authors.
The study was compiled using the most recent data (2003) from the AHA Annual Survey of Hospitals 2005. It represents an update of an earlier report published in 2001 and provides the first follow-up to Means to a Better End: A Report on Dying in America Today (November 2002). Key findings included:
- Palliative care programs are more readily available to people in hospitals in the Northeast, Pacific, and Mountain regions than in other regions of the country.
- Larger hospitals, academic medical centers, not-for-profit hospitals (including those affiliated with the Catholic Church) and VA hospitals are significantly more likely to develop palliative care programs as compared to city, county and state and for-profit hospitals.
- Hospitals are more likely to have a palliative care program if they own their own hospice.
- Hospitals are more likely to have a palliative care program if they have an American College of Surgeons cancer program.
Factors that were cited as possible reasons for the rapid growth in palliative care programs were:
- The increase in the numbers and costs of caring for chronically ill Medicare patients. Palliative care programs have been proven to reduce costs.
- Studies that have shown inadequate treatment of pain and symptoms, poor communication and coordination of care.
- And, the hundreds of millions of dollars that have been invested in the growth of the field by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation and others.
The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine
Palliative Care Current Events and Palliative Care News RSSDying from dementia
A growing number of older adults are dying from dementia. In an editorial in the October 15, 2009 issue of the New England Journal of Medicine, Greg Sachs, M.D., professor of medicine and director of the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics at the Indiana University School of Medicine and a Regenstrief Institute investigator, notes that end-of-life care for most older adults with dementia has not changed in decades and urges that these individuals be provided far greater access to palliative care, the management of pain and other symptoms.
Calculate benefit before dialysis for frail elders
Kidney specialists should weigh the potential quality of life for frail elders with end-stage renal disease (ESRD) in opting for dialysis over more conservative therapies, a nephrologist and a palliative care specialist suggest in an editorial in the New England Journal of Medicine.
Instanyl sets new standard in management of breakthrough cancer pain
New data presented today further demonstrate the efficacy of Instanyl in management of breakthrough cancer pain. The data which were presented at the 6th congress of the European Federation of Chapters of the International Association for the Study of Pain (EFIC) are from a multinational, crossover trial comparing Instanyl with oral transmucosal fentanyl citrate (OTFC) for the treatment of breakthrough pain in patients with cancer.
Expanded insurance benefits break down barriers to hospice care, according to new study
Patients with advanced illnesses more than doubled their use of hospice care when a major national health plan made hospice care more readily accessible, according to the results of a comparative study published in Journal of Palliative Medicine.
Palliative care intervention for patients with advanced cancer provides quality of life benefits
Patients with advanced cancer who received a palliative care intervention focused on addressing physical and psychosocial issues and care coordination that was provided at the same time as cancer treatment reported improved quality of life and mood but did not experience a significant change in the number of days in the hospital or the severity of their symptoms compared to patients who received usual care.
Atrial fibrillation linked to increased hospitalization in heart failure patients
Patients with atrial fibrillation, common in those with advanced chronic heart failure, have an increased risk of hospitalization due to heart failure.
Acupuncture Eases Radiation-Induced Dry Mouth in Cancer Patients
Twice weekly acupuncture treatments relieve debilitating symptoms of xerostomia - severe dry mouth - among patients treated with radiation for head and neck cancer, researchers from The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center report in the current online issue of Head & Neck.
Young women warned of lung cancer risks
Seventeen people are still dying from lung cancer each week in Northern Ireland despite a small improvement in survival rates for the disease.
Study finds race and ethnicity affect use of hospice services among patients with advanced cancer
Race and ethnicity appear to have an effect on whether a patient with terminal cancer uses hospice care services, according to a study led by researchers at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (BIDMC).
Brown Expert Offers Guide to End-of-Life Care
Years ago, dying patients in most communities often had a single option if they needed hospice care. Now they have many more; competition reigns.
More Palliative Care Current Events and Palliative Care News Articles
 |
Palliative and End-of-Life Care: Clinical Practice Guidelines (Palliative and End of Life Care Clinica) by Kim K. Kuebler MN RN ANP-CS (Author), Debra E. Heidrich MSN RN CHPN AOCN (Author), Peg Esper MSN RN CS AOCN (Author) Palliative and End-of-Life Care, 2nd Edition provides clinicians with the guidelines and tools necessary to provide quality, evidenced-based care to patients with life-limiting illness. This text describes the care and management of patients with advanced disease throughout the disease trajectory, extending from diagnosis of advanced disease until death. Four units provide the general principles of palliative and end-of-life care, important concepts, advanced disease management, and clinical practice guidelines. Clinical practice guidelines offer in-depth discussions of the pathophysiology of 19 different symptoms, interventions for specific symptom management (including in-depth rationales), and suggestions for patient and family teaching. Defines dying as a normal, healthy... |
 |
Symptom Management Algorithms: A Handbook for Palliative Care by Linda (Author), M.D. Wrede-Seaman (Author), Intellicard (Editor), Intellicard (Editor), Inc (Editor), Inc (Editor) Pocket sized hospice and palliative care handbook recently updated and released for those providing end of life care and interfacing with the management of advanced chronic diseases. Includes detailled assessment tool, treatment guidelines, tables and scales for pain management and other distressing symptoms. A practical educational tool for nurses in hospice, oncology, long term care and inpatient palliative care. Includes guidelines for spiritual, psychosocial and dignity conserving interventions for patients and their families facing a terminal illness! |
 |
Palliative Care Perspectives by James L. Hallenbeck (Author) Stanford Univ., Palo Alto, CA. Explores the art and science of palliative care. Addresses the process of dying and specific approaches to symptom management. Cites real-life stories of illness with practical advice, as told by an experienced palliative care physician. Discusses spiritual issues. Softcover, hardcover available. DNLM: Palliative Care--methods. |
 |
Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care (Oxford Handbooks Series) by Max Watson (Author), Caroline Lucas (Author), Andrew Hoy (Author), Ian Back (Author) The Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care covers all aspects of palliative care in a concise and succinct format suited to busy professionals who need to access key information in their daily care of patients. This practical guide covers briefly the historical and epidemiological background of palliative care, and the growth of palliative medicine as a specialty, before dealing with major physical, psychological and spiritual, and symptom management issues from diagnosis to bereavement care. In addition to the adult chapters, the handbook includes an extensive paediatric section. The oncology section outlines the treatment regimes of the common cancers and details the chemotherapeutic agents, including their side effects. The Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care will prove invaluable for... |
 |
Palliative Care: Core Skills and Clinical Competencies by Linda L. Emanuel MD PhD (Author), S. Lawrence MD Librach MD CCFP FPFC (Author) Edited by two leading pioneers of palliative medicine, this essential guide provides you with the core knowledge and skills necessary to provide comprehensive and compassionate care. Designed to meet the needs of the daily medical caretaker, this detailed text examines patient assessment, communication, cultural considerations, legal and ethical issues, advance care planning, symptom control, clinical management of specific illnesses, service delivery, interdisciplinary team composition, and more. From diagnosis to bereavement care, PALLIATIVE CARE: CORE SKILLS AND CLINICAL COMPETENCIES addresses all major clinical, physical, psychological, and spiritual management issues encountered in palliative care - in a user-friendly, ready-reference format. Tap into expert guidance on all... |
 |
Textbook of Palliative Medicine by Eduardo Bruera (Author), Irene J Higginson (Author), Carla Ripamonti (Author), Charles F Von Gunten (Author) Textbook of Palliative Medicine provides an alternative, truly international approach to this rapidly growing specialty. This textbook fills a niche with its evidence-based, multi-professional approach and global perspective ensured by the international team of editors and contributing authors. In the absence of an international `curriculum` for the study of palliative medicine, this textbook provides essential guidance for those either embarking upon a career in palliative medicine or already established in the field, and the structure and content have been constructed very much with this in mind. With an emphasis on providing a service anywhere in the world, including the important issue of palliative care in the developing nations, Textbook of Palliative Medicine offers a genuine... |
 |
The Common Sense Guide to Improving Palliative Care by Joanne Lynn M.D. (Author), Ekta Chaudhry (Author), Lin Noyes Simon (Author), Anne M. Wilkinson (Author), Janice Lynch Schuster (Author) Improving care for the patients who are in the last phase of their lives has been a field that most health care providers have struggled with during last few years. Having worked with hundreds of providers throughout the country, these experienced authors know what providers need when it comes to implementing a quality improvement project. This guide will provide user-friendly, step-by-step instructions on how to implement a quality improvement project in the full range of care settings. The instructions will be brought to life with specific examples from actual successful projects and key information on the best practices in the industry. Readers will also be pointed to resources available online and elsewhere, with information on how to access them. The guide will be written in an... |
 |
Speaking of Dying: A Practical Guide to Using Counselling Skills in Palliative Care by Louis Heyse-moore (Author), Colin Murray Parkes (Foreword) Good counselling skills are often not taught to the professionals who need them most. Compassionate and tactful communication skills can make the difference between an awkward encounter with a dying patient, and an engaging, empathic bond between two people.Louis Heyse-Moore draws on his wealth of experience as a trained counsellor and palliative medicine specialist. Covering difficult subjects such as breaking the news of terminal illness to a patient, euthanasia and the effect of working with patients on carers, "Speaking of Dying" is a practical guide to using counselling skills for all clinical disciplines working in palliative care, whether in a hospice, hospital or at home. Complete with a clear explanation of both counselling and medical terminology, this hands-on guide will be an... |
 |
Evidence Based Symptom Control in Palliative Care: Systemic Reviews and Validated Clinical Practice Guidelines for 15 Common Problems in Patients With ... & Symptom Control, V. 7, No. 4-V. 8, No. 1) by Arthur G Lipman (Author) Make your patients’final days as comfortable as possible!There are few situations more challenging and emotionally taxing to a medical professional than the care of the terminally ill. Much has been learned in recent years about symptom control that can profoundly improve the quality of life in a patient's final days.Evidence Based Symptom Control in Palliative Care: Systemic Reviews and Validated Clinical Practice Guidelines for 15 Common Problems in Patients with Life Limiting Disease provides you with symptom control approaches that will help meet patients’last wishes, improve the quality of life for patients and their families, and lessen their physical and emotional pain. Palliative care--often based on anecdotal experience--has until now been... |
 |
Textbook of Palliative Nursing (Ferrell, Palliative Nursing (Text)) by Betty R. Ferrell (Editor), Nessa Coyle (Editor) Originally published in 2001, the Textbook of Palliative Nursing has become the standard text for the field of hospice and palliative care nursing. In this new edition, the authors and editors have updated each chapter to ensure that the content is evidence-based and current references are included. They also have retained the important focus on case studies throughout the text and practical, clinically-relevant tables, figures, and other resources. Like the previous edition, this text has an introductory section of the general principles of palliative care followed by a comprehensive section on symptom assessment and management encompassing twenty-one different symptoms. Other key sections include psychosocial support and spiritual care, providing holistic perspective on care of... |
| © 2009 BrightSurf.com |