KS-012049 eCQ 11-2 Newsletter

National Organization Launches Campaign to Extend Palliative Care to Seriously Ill Patients in All Settings

enables the trust necessary for shared decision making,” says Meier. She notes that although most pal- liative care skills have not been part of medical and nursing education, seriously ill patients still expect their clinicians to: • Understand what matters most to them • Explain what to expect as their illness progresses • Explain the benefits and risks of dif- ferent treatment options • Support decisions consistent with realistic and achievable goals • Manage their symptoms throughout the course of their illness For more information on the project, visit www.capc.org. CAPC also offers a patient resources site, Get Palliative Care: https://getpalliativecare.org.

A five-year national effort to ensure high-quality palliative care and expand access to its delivery into all care settings for patients living with serious illness has been launched by the Center to Ad- vance Palliative Care (CAPC), which has been promoting and supporting the development of palliative care programs within the healthcare system since 1999. “People living with a serious illness such as cancer, CHF, COPD, Parkin- son’s, and more, experience all the associated burdens of illness, including worry, pain, and other symptoms, and caregiver distress,” says CAPC direc- tor Diane E. Meier, MD. “Despite the rapid growth of palliative care, which is specialized medical care focused on relief of the symptoms and stress of serious illness, most people who need palliative care don’t get it.” The stated aims of the campaign,

entitled Project Tipping Point, are: • To increase access to quality pal- liative care services across the full continuum of care in all settings: in the hospital, at home, in office prac- tices, and in long-term care facilities • To enhance knowledge and skill — among all specialties and disciplines — in complex pain and symptom management and in physician/pa- tient/family communication The campaign also includes the launch of the Tipping Point Challenge, in which member organizations and individuals can participate in courses to improve the quality of care delivered to patients with serious illness and en- hance palliative care skills among other healthcare professionals. “The long-term relationship between doctor and patient is the essential ele- ment for high-quality health care, as it

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