Clinical Review
End-of-Life Care: Comparing Two Approaches
Fed Pract. 2005 March;22(3):8
Author and Disclosure Information
Thomas R. Hornick, MD, Patricia A. Higgins, RN, PhD, Teresa Dolinar, MD, Kathleen Hayes, RNC, CHPN, MS, Margaret Kruckemeyer, RN, ARNP-C, CHPN, Geetika Kumar, MD, Beth McIver, RN, NP, Muralidhar Pallaki, MD, and Pamela Sims, RN, MSN
Dr. Hornick is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine, Case Western Reserve University (CWRU), Cleveland, OH and the associate director for clinical services as the VISN 10 Geriatric Research, Education, and Clinical Center (GRECC), located at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VA Medical Center (VAMC). Dr. Higgins is a researcher at the VISN 10 GRECC and an assistant professor at the Francis Payne Bolton School of Nursing, CWRU. Dr. Dolinar is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine, CWRU; the acting head of the geriatrics section, University Hospitals of Cleveland; and a staff physician at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC. Ms. Hayes is the hospice and palliative care coordinator; Ms. Kruckemeyer is a clinical pain nurse practitioner; and Dr. Kumar is a staff physician for hospice, palliative care, and oncology services—all at the Dayton VAMC, Dayton, OH. Ms. McIver is the hospice coordinator at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC. Dr. Pallaki is an assistant professor at the School of Medicine, CWRU and a staff physician at the Louis Stokes Cleveland VAMC. Ms. Sims is a hospice and palliative care case manager at the Dayton VAMC.
All VA institutions have been required to design end-of-life programs, but program characteristics vary widely. Here, a team of researchers takes a closer look at two hospital-based, urban programs—a consultative model and an inpatient approach.