Most lawyers and bioethicists recommend that patients enact a durable power of attorney for health care designating somebody as their proxy decision maker should they become unable to make decisions. Most people choose family members as their agent. But what if a patient wants his or her doctor to be his or her proxy decision maker? Can the doctor be both physician and surrogate decision maker?...

Coordinated palliative care matched to patient needs improves quality of care for vulnerable patients with serious illness and reduces costly use of hospitals and emergency departments. Unfortunately, there is a disconnect in translating geriatric palliative care models and principles into policy and widespread practice. Gaps in policy-relevant research are addressed, including implementation s...

Palliative care is the active holistic care of patients with advanced progressive illness, such as those with advanced cancer, end-stage renal disease, AIDs, and chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder (COPD).(WHO 2002) Management includes treatments for pain and other symptoms (e.g. fatigue, nausea and vomiting, breathlessness, anxiety, depression, vasomotor symptoms, xerostomia), as well as th...

127 Background: The CDC comprehensive cancer initiatives value comprehensive quality care within its mission and program development. Currently, over 75% of hospitals in the United States have palliative care services for cancer patients (CAPC 2011). In order to promote access to quality palliative care in the community outside the hospital, an evaluation is essential. The CDC model of comprehe...

PURPOSE The assessment of the indoor air and walls contamination of fungi at the Kavala Hospital in Greece was made. MATERIAL AND METHODS The study was carried out at the Neonatal Department and Intensive Care Unit and Palliative Care in Kavala Hospital (Greece). Materials for the tests were: the air samples (in front of the building and the selected rooms) and swabs from the walls. The air p...

Patients with ESRD experience complex and costly care that does not always meet their needs. Palliative care, which focuses on improving quality of life and relieving suffering for patients with serious illnesses, could address a large unmet need among patients with ESRD. Strengthening palliative care is a top policy priority for health reform efforts based on strong evidence that palliative ca...

BACKGROUND Even though struggling with similar symptom burden, patients with chronic heart failure (CHF) receive less palliative care than patients suffering from malignant diseases. Researchers have found that this might be related to lack of knowledge about palliative care, insufficient interprofessional communication as well as the cyclic course of disease which makes accurate prognosis diff...

Based on the demonstrated effectiveness of palliative care in the alleviation of symptoms and enhancement of life quality, it is important to incorporate palliative care early in the respiratory disease trajectory. Quality palliative care addresses eight domains that are all patient and family centred. Palliative care interventions in respiratory conditions include management of symptoms such a...

conclusions the overall score of nursing care as regards adherence to the neonatal hemovigilance guidelines was 59.6% in the present study, indicating a lack of care and failure in training in this regard. results the rates of compliance with the hemovigilance guidelines in terms of request, transfusion, and documentation were 47%, 63.2%, and 68%, correspondingly, with a total score of 59.6% in...

Cancer is a multi-system disorder that influences all aspects of the life of affected individuals and their caregivers. Aside from the magnitude of the physical aspect of the disease and treatment there are complex sequalea that must be dealt with. This may include social interactions, family relations, peer interaction, intimate relationships, education, employment, spiritual attitudes and nav...