The Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, 4th edition calls for a seismic shift in the delivery of this specialized care by urging all health care professionals and organizations to integrate it into the services they provide to people living with serious illness. The guidelines also include tools, resources and practice examples to help with implementation.
“Palliative care should be provided throughout the community wherever people living with serious illness receive care, including outpatient clinics, cancer centers, long-term care facilities, office practices, homeless shelters, dialysis units and at home,” said Martha L. Twaddle, MD FACP FAAHPM HMDC, co-chair of the guidelines. “To reach that goal, the guidelines promote consistent criteria and encourage continuity of palliative care across settings.”
AAHPM was one of the supporting organizations involved in updating these guidelines, providing representatives for the NCP Steering Committee by Martha Twaddle, MD FACP FAAHPM HMDC, and the Writing Workgroup by Joe Rotella, MD MBA HMDC FAAHPM.
“This patient- and caregiver-centered perspective distinguishes palliative care from pain management or advance care planning visits. Our ability to engage with persons with serious illness is predicated on understanding their experience in physical, social, and cultural dimensions” says Laura Hanson, MD MPH FAAHPM.
The guidelines have been endorsed by more than 90 national organizations, including, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association, American Academy of Pediatrics, American Board of Internal Medicine, American Cancer Society, American College of Surgeons and American Nurses Association.
Guidelines are available for purchase at www.nationalcoalitionhpc.org/ncp in addition to the free PDF download and online versions.
Discounts are available for bulk orders and include: 5% discount for 5-9 copies; 10% discount for 10+ copies; and reduced shipping charges for all bulk orders. To place a bulk order, contact orders@nationalcoalitionhpc.org.