Notable Quotes from Your Colleagues About Hospice
Opioid Use Poses
‘Extremely Small Risk’ of
Hastened Death in Hospice Patients
“Most clinicians understand the value of using opioids to re-
lieve suffering at the end of life, but the fear of hastening the
death of seriously ill persons contributes to unnecessary suffer-
ing... this study reassures clinicians that their effective use of
opioids in the seriously ill will not hasten death and will lead to
better quality care.”
– R.K. Portenoy, M.D., and colleagues
Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care and Cancer
Center, Beth Israel Medical Center, New York City
As quoted in the December 2006 issue of the Journal of Pain and
Symptom Management.
More Hospice Use Found with
Patient-Centered Management
“Patient-centered management (PCM) is an emerging, com-
prehensive patient-focused collabortion that includes end-
of-life and pain management, education, provider coordina-
tion, and patient advocacy... Researchers showed that PCM
lowered costs and increased satisfaction without sacrificing
mortality in patients who were coping with advanced illness
and preparing for the end of life.” In addition, compared with
patients in the control group, PCM patients had 62% more
hospice days, 38% fewer inpatient admissions, 36% fewer
inpatient hospital days, 30% fewer emergency room visits,
and 22% more home care days.
– L. Sweeney, M.D., and colleagues
Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh
As quoted in the February 2007 issue of The American Journal of
Managed Care.
Adapted from articles published in Quality of Life Matters® • Quality of Life Publishing Co. • www.QoLpublishing.com
New ICU Guidelines
Address Crucial Role of Families,
Recommend Hospice Referral
“We must acknowledge the important role that family members
and other health care surrogates play in patient care and em-
brace their participation... Including and embracing the family
as an integral part of the multiple-professional ICU team are
essential for the timely restoration of health or optimization of
the dying process for critically ill patients.” Clinical practice
guidelines include providing information about and offering
referral to hospice as appropriate and educating the family about
the signs and symptoms of approaching death.
– J.E. Davidson, M.D., and colleagues
American College of Critical Care Medicine Task Force
As quoted in the February 2007 issue of Critical Care Medicine, the
official journal of the Society of Critical Care Medicine.
Physicians Urged to Integrate
Hospice into Heart Failure Care
“Palliative care should be integrated with advances in heart
failure care to optimize treatment of high-risk patients while
discouraging overuse of procedures and devices, and to help
patients and families cope with an uncertain future... Uncertain
prognosis should not be a barrier to hospice enrollment. Pa-
tients may stay on hospice for longer than six months as long as
clinical decline can be documented. Those who stabilize or
improve over several months may be discharged, then reen-
rolled in hospice if their condition worsens.”
– B. Stuart, M.D.
Sutter VNA and Hospice, Emeryville, California
As quoted in the February 2007 issue of the Journal of Palliative
Medicine.