Abstracts » Health

Learning to Care for People With Chronic Illness Facing the End of Life

Article Abstract:

The November 15, 2000 issue of JAMA includes many articles that discuss innovations in terminal care. Many patients do not receive adequate terminal care, especially patients who are very sick but whose day of death cannot be predicted.

Editorial

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An 88-year-old woman facing the end of life

Article Abstract:

The current US health care system is poorly designed when it comes to providing assistance to the dying patient. The course of most diseases is not known, which makes it difficult to plan for death. Medicare does not pay for many support services and except for hospices, few settings can provide adequate care. Even hospice staff may be unfamiliar with the care of dying patients who do not have cancer. Dying patients need to make many financial arrangements and other plans and this will never happen unless the patients and their families can discuss the possibility of death.

Planning, Death

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End-of-life care

Article Abstract:

Physicians need to develop more appropriate care settings to support the dying patient. The debate about physician-assisted suicide has prompted many health care professionals to improve end-of-life care. This has happened in Oregon, where the legalization of assisted suicide has resulted in continuing education courses on the care of the terminally ill. Other involved parties include the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, the Center to Improve Care of the Dying and the American Medical Association. Medical schools are also incorporating end-of-life care into their curricula.

Laws, regulations and rules, Assisted suicide

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