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Palliative and End-of-Life CareWhy Palliative and End-of-Life Care? Patients who are diagnosed with severe illnesses, and those facing the end of their lives, deserve high-quality and compassionate care. As a National Priority, increasing access to hospice and palliative care services can offer these patients and their families the opportunity to help develop and guide their care in ways that are most comfortable for them and that take into account their physical, social, and spiritual needs. These programs help coordinate care of multiple specialists to ensure pain is alleviated, and help patients and their families make difficult decisions regarding the goals of treatment. In addition, hospice and palliative programs save hospitals money - anywhere from $1,700 to $4,900 per admission, according to a study in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
Unfortunately, more than one million people die each year without these important services, and may endure prolonged and needless suffering and costly or ineffective treatments. Twenty percent of cancer patients receive chemotherapy in the last 14 days of life, despite evidence that, by that stage, the treatment may provide more discomfort than benefit.
Share your palliative and end-of-life care stories, or learn more about this Priority. Practicing Compassionate Care
The Partners are working to ensure that: - All patients with life-limiting illnesses will have access to effective treatment for relief of suffering from symptoms such as pain, shortness of breath, weight loss, weakness, nausea, serious bowel problems, delirium, and depression.
- All patients with life-limiting illnesses and their families will have access to help with psychological, social, and spiritual needs.
- All patients with life-limiting illnesses will receive effective communication from healthcare professionals about their options for treatment; realistic information about their prognosis; timely, clear, and honest answers to their questions; advance directives; and a commitment not to abandon them regardless of their choices over the course of their illness.
- All patients with life-limiting illnesses will receive high-quality palliative care and hospice services.
Supporting Resources - Consumer and Community Engagement Initiative: Caring Connections - National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
- Hospice Quality Initiative: Quality Partners - National Hospice and Palliative Care Organization
Palliative and End-of-Life Care in the News
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The Partners envision healthcare capable of promising dignity, comfort, companionship, and spiritual support to patients and families facing advanced illness or dying, fully in synchrony with all of the resources that community, friends, and family can bring to bear at the end of life.
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Approximately 25 percent of Medicare expenses are paid for patients in their last year of life, and these expenses will continue to rise as we face an aging population. Source: Hogan C, Lunney J, Gabel J, et al., Medicare beneficiaries’ costs of care in the last year of life, Health Aff, 2001;20(4):188-195.
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