End-of-Life care: the death of palliative medicine?
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Humans↗
Biomedical subjects
Susan B LeGrand
Publications and source records attributed to Susan B LeGrand.
Dyspnea: the continuing challenge of palliative management.
The management of dyspnea is a challenge even for the most experienced palliative medicine teams. In the absence of effective treatment for the underlying disease, therapeutic options are limited to the supplementation of oxygen, the use of opioids, and multidisciplinary nonpharmacologic interventions. There is increased research into both the physiology of dyspnea and the correlates of the symptom in advanced disease. Hopefully, this research will lead to improved therapy in the future. This article reviews current literature on dyspnea with a focus on publications in 2001.
Dyspnea↗
Symptom control in cancer patients: the clinical pharmacology and therapeutic role of suppositories and rectal suspensions.
Rectally administered medications are essential in palliative medicine, particularly in the last days of life. They are underutilized. The pharmacology of rectally administered medications relates not only to the medication but also to the suppository base, additives, drug ionization, p K(a), absorptive surface of the rectum, and rectal health. The pharmacokinetics may differ from those of orally administered medications owing to reduced hepatic first-pass clearance. In this review the pharmacology of rectally administered palliative medications is reviewed and the use of individual drugs is outlined.
Administration, Rectal↗
The business of palliative medicine--Part 2: The economics of acute inpatient palliative medicine.
Economic feasibility is a major factor in the viability of established acute inpatient palliative medicine. Several clinical, administrative, and financial parameters determine the financial health of inpatient care. Financial management metrics include case mix index (CMI) (as determined by the Federal Register as an assigned relative weight to the diagnosis-related group (DRG) reflecting resource consumption), direct costs, indirect costs, contribution margin, and in the future of all patient revised-DRG (APR-DRG). Both census and length of stay will have a major impact on these financial metrics. The type of patient referral and clinical decisions will influence direct costs and revenues. In the future, an international CMI or APR-DRG will allow palliative inpatient units to compare disease severity, resource utilization, and outcome measures.
Aged↗
Opioids, respiratory function, and dyspnea.
Dyspnea, the sensation of difficult breathing, is a common debilitating symptom in advanced cancer and chronic progressive cardiopulmonary disease. Primary treatment is correction of the underlying etiology. In incurable illness wherein the cause is irreversible and the goal is palliation, opioids are the drugs of choice for symptomatic relief. This article reviews current knowledge in the pathophysiology of dyspnea, proposed opioid mechanism of action, and evidence of efficacy.
Analgesics, Opioid↗
A syllabus for fellowship education in palliative medicine.
Recent years have seen significant growth in palliative medicine training programs and positions. There are plans to pursue palliative medicine specialty status with the American Board of Medical Specialties and accreditation of fellowship programs with the American College of Graduate Medical Education. A work group of program directors, supported initially by the Cleveland Clinic and then by the American Board of Hospice and Palliative Medicine, has recently published standards for fellowship training. Despite this, fundamental questions remain about defining the field and delineating the knowledge and skills expected following completion of specialty training. In this article, we describe the first fellowship program in palliative medicine (PMP) in the United States, developed and supported by the Cleveland Clinic Foundation. The program has been implemented as part of the Harry R. Horvitz Center for Palliative Medicine, founded in 1987 as the first comprehensive integrated US program in this field. This training program, in existence since 1989, features a traditional rotational structure with an inpatient primary care service, inpatient consult services, and an outpatient consult/hospice service. This article outlines the syllabus developed for this fellowship, given what we believe to be the essential knowledge base for the field of palliative medicine.
Clinical Competence↗
The financial benefits of acute inpatient palliative medicine: an inter-institutional comparative analysis by all patient refined-diagnosis related group and case mix index.
Financial comparisons of acute care hospital services are possible using the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services case mix index (CMI) and All Patient Refined-Diagnosis Related Group (APR-DRG) data. We compared The Cleveland Clinic's Inpatient Palliative Medicine (CCIPM) acute care unit's CMI and APR-DRG data with national and peer institution data. Total mean charges per admission to the CCIPM unit were 7,800 dollars lower than at other peer institutions despite an equivalent severity of illness and longer length of stay and higher mortality in the CCIPM unit. The lower charges were due primarily to lower laboratory and pharmaceutical charges. We conclude that an acute inpatient palliative medicine unit operating within a comprehensive integrated palliative medicine program is cost-effective in providing specialized care for people with advanced disease.
Acute Disease↗