The economic domain is not often a priority topic for clinicians; however, economic issues permeate the health care experience of clinicians, patients, and their families and caregivers. For example, reimbursement…
In ancient cultures, physicians did not have central roles in caring for the dying. Physician skills were focused on caring for those for whom a cure was possible. From medieval…
In this chapter, we discuss the types of palliative care services that are available in the United States and Canada. Palliative care services are most often provided in one of…
This chapter provides an overview of guidelines, their purpose, characteristics, and steps to successfully disseminate and implement them in everyday practice. The goal of this chapter is to encourage the…
Survey results of different populations vary considerably with regard to preference for home as the location of death. A 2000 systematic review of studies found that, overall, the majority of…
The world’s population is aging. Worldwide, 1 in every 10 persons is more than 60 years old. By year 2050, the number is expected to increase to 1 in every…
At some point, people who are diagnosed with a life-limiting condition or illness generally realize that they are in transition to something unknown, either to the process of living differently…
The team approach is crucial to palliative care, but there has been little research on the optimal structure and function of an interdisciplinary team that is responsible for caring for…
Social work is a younger profession than either medicine or nursing. Although some form of social work has been present wherever social systems have been in place, social work as…
The (nursing) profession taught me so many lessons about the fragility of life, the importance of being mindful about the way you live, the need for appreciation of life’s beauty…
