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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
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The 130th Annual Meeting of APHA |
Deena Blanchard, BA, Health Studies, Temple University, 304 Vivacqua Hall, Philadelphia, PA 19122, 215-204-6780, blanchardd@email.chop.edu, Terri Maxwell, RN, MSN, Family Medicine, Thomas Jefferson University, 1015 Walnut Street suite 401, Philadelphia, PA 19107, and James Plumb, MD, Department of Family Medicine, Jefferson Health System, 1015 Walnut - Suite 401, Philadelphia, PA 19107.
Since the groundbreaking SUPPORT study in 1995 that documented grave deficiencies in the care for dying hospitalized patients and their families, attention from health care providers, researchers, public policy makers, the media, academia and the general public has begun to focus on the palliative needs of seriously ill people. In response to the need to improve the care at the end of life, health care institutions seek to improve the quality of care for those with advanced illnesses. The prevailing opinion among providers and administrators at a large metropolitan health system was that there was lack of attention to the needs of dying patients and their families. This created the need for a more defined and organized understanding of the current palliative care practices at this health system. To determine the palliative care practices at the health system, an organizational assessment was distributed to targeted healthcare providers working with patients at the end of life. The survey asked physicians, nurses, social workers, and chaplains to report their personal perceptions of the current level and standards of palliative care within their institution. In addition, a review of 54 charts was performed to validate survey responses and to explore end-of-life practices in greater detail. Results presented include: the perceptions of various healthcare workers within the health system of the quality of end-of-life care at their institution, results of chart audits including documentation related to the timing of DNR discussions, symptom management, setting for care, as well as areas in need of improvement.
Learning Objectives: After participation in the poster session the particpant will be able to
Keywords: End-of-Life Care,
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.