The Physician And Hospice Care

The Physician and Hospice Care is an informative overview of the roles and attitudes of physicians on the hospice staff, and the challenges they encounter in their work with terminally ill patients. An enlightening reference book, it prepares novice hospice physicians for the often demanding hospice environment by exploring issues they may encounter, such as the physician's role in hospice team management, the developing concept of palliative care and the hospice, and the changing patterns of care for the terminally ill. Hospice staff will gain valuable insights for working with physicians through examinations of doctors'attitudes about palliative care, particularly their difficulty with accepting death as the inevitable outcome of an illness. This indispensable book includes guidelines for physicians on the management of various care activities including pain and symptom management, medical ethics regarding euthanasia, recurrent life-threatening illness, home care for the terminally ill, and ethical considerations related to patient suicide. New physicians and other health care professionals in a variety of disciplines involved in the care of the dying will gain a better understanding of their own roles and contributions to hospice care from this perceptive book. Some of the important topics covered by The Physician and Hospice Care include: collaboration between physicians and social workers physicians'roles as educators of hospice volunteers physicians'reactions to death issues of hospice care for noncancer patients house calls for terminally ill ethical dilemmas in feeding advanced cancer patients nonverbal communication and sexuality in dying patients psychosocial aspects of care for end-stage lung disease staff and family perceptions of death in hospitals home care of the advanced cancer patient This unique book provides sensitive guidelines for physicians and other professionals to use in their work with terminally ill patients. It is an eye-opener of tremendous value to upper level medical students, interns, residents, oncological radiotherapists, oncological subspecialists, young attending physicians in academic and private practice, hospice physicians, and all members of the hospice staff from clergy to volunteers.

A palliative care doctor on the front lines of hospital care illuminates one of the most important and controversial ethical issues of our time on his quest to transform care through the end of life. It is harder to die in this country than ever before. Statistics show that the vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home, yet many of us spend our last days fearful and in pain in a healthcare system ruled by high-tech procedures and a philosophy to "fight disease and illness at all cost." Dr. Ira Byock, one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, argues that end-of-life care is among the biggest national crises facing us today. In addressing the crisis, politics has trumped reason. Dr. Byock explains that to ensure the best possible care for those we love-and eventually ourselves- we must not only remake our healthcare system, we must also move past our cultural aversion to talking about death and acknowledge the fact of mortality once and for all. Dr. Byock describes what palliative care really is, and-with a doctor's compassion and insight-puts a human face on the issues by telling richly moving, heart-wrenching, and uplifting stories of real people during the most difficult moments in their lives. Byock takes us inside his busy, cutting-edge academic medical center to show what the best care at the end of life can look like and how doctors and nurses can profoundly shape the way families experience loss. Like books by Atul Gawande and Jerome Groopman, The Best Care Possible is a compelling meditation on medicine and ethics told through page-turning, life or death medical drama. It is passionate and timely, and it has the power to lead a new kind of national conversation.

This issue of Physician Assistant Clinics, guest edited by Donna Seton and Rich Lamkin, is devoted to Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine. Articles in this issue include: Introduction to Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, The Role of the Physician Assistant in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Breaking Serious News: Communication in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Advance Care Planning and Goals of Care in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Palliative Care and Spirituality, Prognostic Tools in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Basics of Pain Management in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Dyspnea in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Psychiatric Issues in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, Pediatric Palliative Care Basics in Hospice and Palliative Care Medicine, and more.

Identifies clinical, ethical, and public policy challenges in end-of- life care and offers recommendations on how to better address these problems. Part I focuses on building relationships among doctors, patients, and families, cultural differences in attitudes towards palliative care, and what to do when the patient cannot speak for himself. Part II presents practical approaches to common problems, illustrated with clinical cases in management of pain, depression, and delirium. Part III deals with legal, financial, and quality issues. Snyder teaches bioethics at the University of Pennsylvania Center for Bioethics; Quill teaches in the Program for Biopsychosocial Studies at the University of Rochester School of Medicine. c. Book News Inc.

From Ira Byock, prominent palliative care physician and expert in end of life decisions, a lesson in Dying Well. Nobody should have to die in pain. Nobody should have to die alone. This is Ira Byock's dream, and he is dedicating his life to making it come true. Dying Well brings us to the homes and bedsides of families with whom Dr. Byock has worked, telling stories of love and reconciliation in the face of tragedy, pain, medical drama, and conflict. Through the true stories of patients, he shows us that a lot of important emotional work can be accomplished in the final months, weeks, and even days of life. It is a companion for families, showing them how to deal with doctors, how to talk to loved ones—and how to make the end of life as meaningful and enriching as the beginning. Ira Byock is also the author of The Best Care Possible: A Physician's Quest to Transform Care Through the End of Life.

50 Studies Every Palliative Doctor Should Know presents key studies that have shaped the practice of palliative medicine. Selected using a rigorous methodology, the studies cover topics including: palliative care, symptom assessment and management, psychosocial aspects of care and communication, and end-of-life care. For each study, a concise summary is presented with an emphasis on the results and limitations of the study, and its implications for practice. An illustrative clinical case concludes each review, followed by brief information on other relevant studies. This book is a must-read for health care professionals and anyone who wants to learn more about the data behind clinical practice.

When the end of life makes its inevitable appearance, people should be able to expect reliable, humane, and effective caregiving. Yet too many dying people suffer unnecessarily. While an "overtreated" dying is feared, untreated pain or emotional abandonment are equally frightening. Approaching Death reflects a wide-ranging effort to understand what we know about care at the end of life, what we have yet to learn, and what we know but do not adequately apply. It seeks to build understanding of what constitutes good care for the dying and offers recommendations to decisionmakers that address specific barriers to achieving good care. This volume offers a profile of when, where, and how Americans die. It examines the dimensions of caring at the end of life: Determining diagnosis and prognosis and communicating these to patient and family. Establishing clinical and personal goals. Matching physical, psychological, spiritual, and practical care strategies to the patient's values and circumstances. Approaching Death considers the dying experience in hospitals, nursing homes, and other settings and the role of interdisciplinary teams and managed care. It offers perspectives on quality measurement and improvement, the role of practice guidelines, cost concerns, and legal issues such as assisted suicide. The book proposes how health professionals can become better prepared to care well for those who are dying and to understand that these are not patients for whom "nothing can be done."