The first comprehensive, clinically focused guide to help hospitalists and other hospital-based clinicians provide quality palliative care in the inpatient setting. Written for practicing clinicians by a team of experts in the field of palliative care and hospital care, Hospital-Based Palliative Medicine: A Practical, Evidence-Based Approach offers: Comprehensive content over three domains of inpatient palliative care: symptom management, communication and decision making, and practical skills, Detailed information on assessment and management of symptoms commonly experienced by seriously ill patients, Advise on the use of specific communication techniques to address sensitive topics such as prognosis, goals of care, code status, advance care planning, and family meetings in a patient- and family-centered manner, Targeted content for specific scenarios, including palliative care emergencies, care at the end of life, and an overview of post-hospital palliative care options, Self-care strategies for resilience and clinician wellness which can be used to help maintain an empathic, engaged, workforce and high quality patient care, A consistent chapter format with highlighted clinical pearls and pitfalls, ensuring the material is easily accessible to the busy hospitalist and associated hospital staff. This title will be of use to all hospital clinicians who care for seriously ill patients and their families. Specialist-trained palliative care clinicians will also find this title useful by outlining a framework for the delivery of palliative care by the patient’s front-line hospital providers. Also available in the in the Hospital-Based Medicine: Current Concepts series: Inpatient Anticoagulation Margaret C. Fang, Editor, 2011 Hospital Images: A Clinical Atlas Paul B. Aronowitz, Editor, 2012 Becoming a Consummate Clinician: What Every Student, House Officer, and Hospital Practitioner Needs to Know Ary L. Goldberger and Zachary D. Goldberger, Editors, 2012 Perioperative Medicine: Medical Consultation and Co-Management Amir K. Jaffer and Paul J. Grant, Editors, 2012 Clinical Care Conundrums: Challenging Diagnoses in Hospital Medicine James C. Pile, Thomas E. Baudendistel, and Brian J. Harte, Editors, 2013 Inpatient Cardiovascular Medicine Brahmajee K. Nallamothu and Timir S. Baman, Editors 2013

Palliative care is an interdisciplinary care philosophy addressing patient and family needs and goals without providing a cure for the underlying disease. Palliative care can be successfully provided alongside curative care, which does focus on treating the disease. Studies have indicated that palliative care offers a variety of quality of life benefits to both the patient and family. Prompted by rapid growth of hospital-based palliative care, we explored the literature to better understand the financial incentives and barriers to these programs. Although patients who receive palliative care in the hospital have lower hospital costs than matched patients who do not receive palliative care, many hospitals face challenges in being reimbursed for services rendered by their interdisciplinary teams. In some cases, hospitals may absorb 50 percent of the costs of their palliative care teams because of lack of adequate reimbursement. Despite the opportunity for cost savings for a variety of stakeholders, without payment reform hospitals may be constrained from providing palliative care to all who might benefit. Additional research is needed to understand how patients, hospitals, and payers may participate in cost savings attributable to palliative care so that policymakers can effectively promote these services.

This book describes the history and development of palliative care services in the Republic of Ireland. Written from a multi-professional perspective the book appeals to anyone with an interest in hospice and palliative care in Ireland. In attempting to explore what is different about Irish palliative care, this book delves into the cultural, religious and social factors particular to modern Ireland, from the historical roots of the Irish palliative care movement through to the publication of the Government’s ‘blueprint’ for the future development of services. Palliative Care In Ireland explores the provision of palliative care services, bereavement, the influence of folklore, holistic care, faith, religion and spirituality, and the important contributions of the voluntary sector. The changing face of Ireland is described and challenges ahead are considered. This is the first book to truly capture the Irish dimension and is essential reading for those in emerging services worldwide where similar challenges are faced and where local and national influences determine the uniqueness of a particular model of service delivery. The book is key reading for students and researchers as well as all those involved in the delivery and management of palliative care services. Contributors: Jide Afolabi, Maria Bailey, Frank Brennan, David Clark, Sinéad Donnelly, Matthew Farrelly, Stephen Higgins, Jacqueline Holmes, Kaye Kealy, Michael Kearney, Ann Keating, Orla Keegan, Christy Kenneally, Philip Larkin, Peter Lawlor, Julie Ling, Anna-Marie Lynch, John McCormack, Regina McQuillan, Michael J. Murphy, Tony O'Brien, Eileen O’Leary, Liam O’Síoráin, Maeve O'Reilly, Patrick J Quinlan, Deirdre Rowe, Siobhan Sheehan, Geraldine Tracey, Onja Van Doorslaer, Eithne Walsh.

Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine is the only book that uses a practical, question-and-answer approach to address evidence-based decision making in palliative medicine. Dr. Nathan E. Goldstein and Dr. R. Sean Morrison equip you to evaluate the available evidence alongside of current practice guidelines, so you can provide optimal care for patients and families who are dealing with serious illness. - Consult this title on your favorite e-reader with intuitive search tools and adjustable font sizes. Elsevier eBooks provide instant portable access to your entire library, no matter what device you're using or where you're located. - Confidently navigate clinical challenges with chapters that explore interventions, assessment techniques, treatment modalities, recommendations / guidelines, and available resources - all with a focus on patient and family-centered care. - Build a context for best practices from high-quality evidence gathered by multiple leading authorities. - Make informed decisions efficiently with treatment algorithms included throughout the book.

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 both 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 alternative to the narrative approach of its competitors, and is an ideal complement to them. It is essential reading for all palliative care physicians in training and in practice, as well as palliative care nurses and other health professionals in the palliative care team

Geriatric Palliative Care covers a broad spectrum of issues characterizing care near the end of life for older adults. Beginning with the social and cultural context of old age and frailty, this volume details specific aspects of palliative care relevant to particular disorders (e.g. cancer, strokes, dementia, etc.) as well as individual symptoms (e.g., pain, fatigue, anxiety, etc.). Communication between care-givers and patients, in a variety of settings, is also discussed. The theme of this book is that palliative care is the best approach to the care of chronically ill and frail elderly because of its focus on: quality of life; support for functional independence; and the centrality of the patient's values and experiences in determining the goals of medical care. Indeed, Geriatric Palliative Care provides a comprehensive medical reference for all clinicians who care for older adults.

When the first edition of this book (Terminal Care Support Teams: the hospital-hospice interface, 1990) was written, there were only a few advisory palliative care teams working in hospitals. Since then the number of teams has grown rapidly. The concept of these teams in now widely accepted but there is an increased need for information about setting up a team, how they work and how effective they are. This book looks at the need for hospital- based palliative care teams and the challenges of bringing palliative care into the acute hospital setting. It reviews the needs of patients, their families and their professional carers, and also looks at the theoretical and practical problems which may be encountered. For example there is practical advice on setting up hospital-based palliative care teams, the selection of team members as well as coverage of team dynamics, and the role of the pain clinic and palliation oncology.

"All of us working in palliative care would benefit from reading this book as it exposes assumptions derived from the treatment mostly of cancer patients and encourages us to review our thoughts on the intrinsic value of all life, however opaque." -- Palliative Medicine.

Find out all you need to know about providing high-quality care to patients with serious illnesses from the 2nd edition of Palliative Care: Core Skills and Clinical Competencies. Drs. Linda L. Emanuel and S. Lawrence Librach, leaders in the field, address the clinical, physical, psychological, cultural, and spiritual dimensions that are integral to the care of the whole patient. They give you a broad understanding of the core clinical skills and competencies needed to effectively approach patient assessment, care of special populations, symptom control, ethical issues, and more. Clearly written in a user-friendly, high-yield format, this resource is your ultimate guidebook to the burgeoning practice of palliative medicine. Improve your pain management and symptom management skills with a better understanding of best practices in palliative care. Quickly review specific treatment protocols for both malignant and non-malignant illnesses, including HIV/AIDS, heart failure, renal failure, pulmonary disease, and neurodegenerative disease. Better understand and manage the common and unique challenges associated with delivering palliative care in various social settings, such as the ICU, hospice, and the home; and to diverse populations, such as children, elders, and vulnerable members of society. Expand your knowledge of palliative care issues with new chapters on Veterans, Special Populations, Prognostication, Delirium, Working with Families, Wound Care, Home Care, and Dealing with Economic Hardship. Find the information you need quickly and easily with a templated, high-yield format.

The first book of its kind, this must-have resource examines the integration of palliative interventions from a disease-specific approach, providing practical guidance on caring for patients who follow a progressive, chronic disease trajectory prior to death. This uniquely practical book addresses all aspects of palliative care, going beyond theoretical information to advise practitioners on the most effective management of common symptoms and providing physical, psychological, and spiritual comfort to patients and families. The multidisciplinary focus of care is reflected by collaborative contributors and diverse authorship of an oncology/palliative care nurse practitioner, a physician, and a social worker. Expert authors in the field of palliative care - an oncology/palliative care nurse practitioner, an MD, and a social worker - represent the collaborative nature of caring for chronically ill patients. The most common illnesses that cause death in the United States are addressed in separate chapters on specific disease states: Cardiovascular, Pulmonary, Nephrology, Oncology, and Neurology. Case studies at the conclusion of each chapter illustrate important patient scenarios in the context of clinical practice. Comprehensive drug information for symptom management and comfort measures is provided in an appendix, as well as palliative care assessment tools and helpful website resources. An entire chapter is devoted to cancer pain. Objectives at the beginning of each chapter introduce the reader to concepts that will be addressed in that chapter. Each chapter ends with multiple-choice objective questions to test the reader's comprehension, with answers and rationales provided in the back of book. Prognostic tables demonstrate precisely how and when to integrate palliative interventions into the course of an advanced illness, identifying prognostic indicators where appropriate. Other important topics are covered with chapters on sleep, ethics, cultural and spiritual issues, and the dying process.