Helping Hands Healing Hearts: http://helpinghands-swpa.org/
PPPCC: http://pppcc.net/
NHPCO: http://www.nhpco.org/
Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh: http://www.chp.edu/CHP/Home
Children's Hospital of Philadelphia: http://www.chop.edu/
Forbes Hospice: http://www.wpahs.org/hospice/
VITAS: http://www.vitas.com/
The Children's Home: http://www.childrenshomepgh.org/
The Children's Institute: www.amazingkids.org
Bayada Nurses: http://www.bayadanurses.com/
Patients and Caregivers Urgently Need Physician Support at End of Life
December 2005 CC: Pediatric End of Life
Robert Truog, MD, FCCM, discusses his article published in the December 2005 issue of Critical Connections, "Pediatric End of Life: Special Needs for Special Children." Dr. Truog is professor of medical ethics and anesthesia, pediatrics at Harvard Medical School, Children's Hospital Boston. He discusses the unique challenges faced in the pediatric intensive care unit by physicians and family members. (Crit Conn 2005 Vol.4 No.6)
New Rochelle, NY, March 13, 2009—"It is distressing that a recent study has shown continuing deficiencies in how physicians manage end-of-life care, despite a 30-year history of research on the importance of palliative care," says Charles F. von Gunten, MD, PhD, Editor-in-Chief of Journal of Palliative Medicine, a peer-reviewed publication of Mary Ann Liebert, Inc., (www.liebertpub.com). Journal of Palliative Medicine (www.liebertpub.com/jpm) is the official journal of the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) and an official journal of the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA).
In the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine (2009;169(5):474-479), the authors report that patients and family members sometimes feel abandoned by their physicians when patients transition to hospice care toward the end of life. This discontinuity in care was associated with a lack of closure of the therapeutic relationship reported by both physicians and by patients and their families. The value of end-of-life care derives from both the continued expertise of the physician and the importance of the ongoing physician-patient relationship.
"It is thrilling that palliative medicine research is now being reported in some of the most prominent journals in medicine," says Dr. von Gunten, who serves as Provost at the Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice. "Our science shows us that the medical care of an individual is more than just the identification and management of human biology and pathology. The physician must demonstrate skills for care of the whole patient."
"The most important point from the study is that these deficiencies persist despite their initial identification more than 30 years ago. Fortunately, the specialty of palliative medicine has been officially recognized in the U.S., the U.K., Australia, and Canada. We look forward to a future when all physicians demonstrate the basic skills in this field, and when there are enough specialists to help with the difficult cases."
Journal of Palliative Medicine, published monthly in print and online, is an interdisciplinary journal that reports on the clinical, educational, legal, and ethical aspects of care for seriously ill and dying patients. It includes coverage of the latest developments in drug and non-drug treatments for patients with life-threatening diseases including cancer, AIDS, cardiac disease, pulmonary, neurologic, respiratory conditions, and other diseases. The Journal reports on the development of palliative care programs around the United States and the world, and on innovations in palliative care education.
Mary Ann Liebert, Inc. (www.liebertpub.com), is a privately held, fully integrated media company known for establishing authoritative peer-reviewed journals in many promising areas of science and biomedical research, including Briefings in Palliative, Hospice, and Pain Medicine and Management, AIDS Patient Care and STDs, and Population Health Management. Its biotechnology trade magazine, Genetic Engineering & Biotechnology News (GEN), was the first in its field and is today the industry's most widely read publication worldwide. A complete list of the firm's 60 journals, newsmagazines, and books is available at www.liebertpub.com