Palliative / hospice palliative care is a broad approach to providing comfort and dignity for patients and families who are living with, or at risk of developing a life-threatening illness. It is a holistic approach that aims to meet the needs of those with life-threatening illnesses, helping them live longer, with the best quality of life possible and, when the time comes, helping them die comfortably.
We know patients should make end of life decisions and receive palliative care earlier than they often do. Efforts are underway in Ontario to improve the provision of palliative care. Interesting research out of Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre is developing a conceptual framework and quality indicators for Improving End-Of-Life Communication and Decision Making.
Quality and equity go hand in hand, and it is important to strive for equity in palliative care. This means ensuring that all people living in Ontario can reach their full health potential and receive high-quality palliative care that is fair and appropriate, no matter where they live, who they are, or what they have. Researchers from Lakehead University led a five-year CIHR-funded research program with the goal of improving end-of-life care in four First Nations communities by developing palliative care programs and creating a culturally appropriate theory of change to guide palliative care program and policy development. Read about the Naotkamegwanning First Nation’s Wiisokotaatiwin Pilot Program and the Framework they developed to guide program and policy development nationally.
As numerous countries experience population ageing, quality improvement in palliative care is being discussed globally. The Institute of Medicine released a seminal publication describing the situation of Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honouring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life.
How do we achieve equity in palliative care? How do we plan to integrate palliative care and discussions earlier on while still being respectful of patients and caregivers/loved ones?
Who has experiences they can share?
*Word Cloud Source: Katherine Pettus, PhD, International Association of Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC).