After years as a philosophy on the fringe of medicine, end-of-life care is now becoming a mainstream discipline.
Perhaps its rise was spurred by the debate surrounding physician-assisted suicide or by aging Baby Boomers finally recognizing their mortality and demanding better care, but whatever the reasons, the medical community is taking action.
A new national report provides examples of quality end-of-life care; philanthropic organizations are awarding millions of dollars to improve such care in New York City; and nurses across the United States are receiving funds to implement such programs.
REPORT ON PRACTICE
The report, Promises to Keep: Changing the Way We Provide Care at the End of Life, was released October 12 by the National Coalition on Health Care (NCHC) and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI). The document profiles nine institutions and organizations providing quality end-of-life care and offers "seven promises" that a health care . . . [Full Text of this Article]
