Hospital Palliative Care Team Research Articles

Hospital palliative care services: Three models in three countries

There is an increasing trend toward providing palliative care services within general hospitals. The history and work of three hospital palliative care teams is reviewed, one in New York, one in London, and one in Ontario, Canada. The evolution, leadership, structure, functioning, and financing of the teams is discussed. Indicators of success and survival, principally financial support, leadership, and acceptability within hospitals, are considered. It is recommended that the service traditionally limited to oncology patients be extended to other patient groups. It is also recommended that, taking into account cultural and institutional differences, standardized mechanisms be adopted so that services can be systematically audited and changes implemented. Research and education will become increasingly important if services within hospitals are to survive.

The Use of Research to Facilitate the Creation of a Hospital Palliative Care Team

Although there is increasing awareness of the importance of palliative care, services for terminally ill patients in hospital are often less well developed than those in the community. This study evaluated the problems of patients who were terminally ill, with the diagnosis of cancer, in a large teaching hospital during a six-week period. The data collected were then used as a basis for establishing a hospital palliative care team. This paper outlines the possible roles of research in the development of palliative care services.