Hospital palliative care programs continue rapid growthDecember 08, 2006New data show fifth consecutive annual increase New York, NY - Hospitals continue to implement palliative care programs at a rapid pace, according to a Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) analysis of the latest data released in the 2006 American Hospital Association (AHA) Annual Survey of Hospitals. The CAPC analysis shows that 1240 hospitals nationwide provide palliative care programs today. This is compared to 632 programs in 2000-a five-year increase of 96%. Palliative medicine is interdisciplinary care aimed at the relief of the pain, symptoms and stress of serious illness. The goal is to ensure the highest quality of life possible for patients and their families. Palliative medicine treats serious illness regardless of prognosis, and patients can receive it at any point in their illness, with or without curative treatment. "Ten years ago there were almost no hospital palliative care programs in the U.S. This continuous growth trend is very good news because if we are going to meet the needs of our aging population, every hospital must have a program." said Dr. Diane Meier, Director of the Center to Advance Palliative Care. Of the 4,103 hospitals appropriate for palliative care programs (psychiatric and rehab hospitals are excluded): - 30% have a program - 50% with over 75 beds have a program - 70% with over 250 beds have a program - 57% of hospitals with a cancer program approved by the American College of Surgeons (ACS) have a program - 75% of Council of Teaching Hospitals (COTH) members have a program - 46% of hospitals in cities with a population of 1-2.5 million have a program 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 for-profit hospitals. By 2030, it is expected that the number of older Americans will have more than doubled to 70 million - or one in every five Americans. With the availability of advanced medical technologies this growing number of older adults will live longer, but often with serious chronic illnesses and ongoing pain and symptoms. Palliative medicine is widely viewed as a solution to this mounting problem. The Mount Sinai Hospital / Mount Sinai School of Medicine |
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| Related Palliative Care Current Events and Palliative Care News Articles Dying 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 |
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