End of Life Care

End of life care has been discussed with great detail of late.

According to End of Life Care and Outcomes, a report from the Agency for Health Research and Quality (AHRQ) finalized in February 2005, literature over the past ten years reflects the growing importance of this topic.

"To evaluate progress in the field of end-of-life care and clarify research priorities, the National Institute of Nursing Research (NINR), with the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ), commissioned [an] evidence report as the basis for a State-of-the-Science Conference in December 2004. "

This report addressed four main questions:
1. What outcome variables are valid indicators of the quality of the end-of-life experience for the dying person and for the surviving loved ones?
2. What patient, family, and health care system factors are associated with better or worse outcomes at end of life?
3. What processes and interventions are associated with improved or worsened outcomes?
4. What are future research directions for improving end-of-life care?

The literature review that was done to support this report identified several important points including an association between satisfaction and pain management, communication, practical support and enhanced caregiving. A lot of the evidence comes from the cancer literature where palliative care has been incorporated into clinical practice of oncology.

A summary can be found on the AHRQ site, and the full report can be downloaded as a PDF. (AHRQ develops scientific information on which clinical guidelines, performance measures, and quality improvement tools can be measured.)

FYI: The Medical Library has a large book and video collection dedicated to this topic. The collection is conveniently housed on the main level behind the reference desk. Please ask for help if you have trouble locating the collection.

http://consensus.nih.gov/ta/024/EoLfinal021805.htm
http://consensus.nih.gov/ta/024/EoLfinal011805pdf.pdf