Comfort Care for End-of-Life Patients
Hospice of the Valley’s Palliative Care Programs Help Physicians and Nurses Support Patients with Life-Limiting Illnesses
Physicians and nurses enter the field of medicine to cure illnesses and improve the quality of life for their patients.
But sometimes there isn’t a cure. When faced with that reality, physicians and nurses may become uncomfortable with their role, thinking there is nothing more they can do.
In fact, much can be done as the focus shifts from cure to comfort. That approach is called “palliative care,” designed to provide physical, mental, emotional and spiritual relief to patients and families from a team of medical and social-service professionals.
Hospice of the Valley, in partnership with the Mayo Clinic Palliative Medicine Program and the Arizona Area Medical Consortium, developed an innovative program this year to deepen awareness and understanding of palliative care among primary care physicians in residency programs throughout Maricopa County. The program is funded by a $276,000 grant from The Virginia G. Piper Charitable Trust. It has received an overwhelming, positive response from doctors as well as other specialties in the medical community.
As critical caregivers during the final stages of life, nurses expressed an interest in receiving the same training to help them manage pain and provide comfort.
“We never expected such enthusiastic demand for the training,” said Carol Kratz, senior program officer for the Trust. “We realized that by investing additional resources, we could achieve economies of scale in developing both programs nearly simultaneously with slight modifications, based on the differing roles of physicians and nurses.” As a result, the Trust invested another $118,000 to develop the specialized program for nurses.
Hospice of the Valley’s Palliative Care Programs for Physicians and Nurses are expected to train 110 primary care residents and 60 nurses in the first year. Participants attend an initial orientation; complete several half-day visits in the field with physicians, nurses, social workers and chaplains; and complete nine online learning modules. The goals of the programs include increasing knowledge of palliative care, improving communication skills and instilling enhanced skills that are put to work in future practice.
Although long-term success in achieving these goals is not yet measurable due to the newness of the programs, feedback from participants has been powerful. One physician resident said: “During one of the home visits with a social worker, I was struck by the gratefulness of a family, simply for our being present and caring about their loved one.”
The increased sensitivity to the needs of end-of-life patients and their families will enable both primary care physicians and nurses to improve their care of hospice patients throughout the Valley, said Dr. Gillian Hamilton, administrative medical director of Hospice of the Valley and director of the training programs.
ABOUT HOSPICE OF THE VALLEY
Hospice of the Valley, a not-for-profit hospice since 1977, provides quality, compassionate care to adults, children and families who are faced with terminal illness in Maricopa County. Guided by its mission of “bringing comfort and dignity as life nears its end,” services are provided regardless of ability to pay. A dedicated staff of more than 1,400 employees and more than 950 volunteers delivers service to more than 2,500 patients and their families on a daily basis. More than 90 percent of the care is provided in the patient’s home setting, with the remainder served at one of the agency’s 14 palliative care units.
To learn more about Hospice of the Valley, call 602.530-6900 or visit www.hospiceofthevalley.org.
CONTACT:
Vicki Hochstetler, Administrator of Medical Education
Hospice of the Valley, 602.530.6942
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