Summary
Many Americans may confront illnesses so serious that they are life threatening. These diagnoses may come with treatment attempts and hospital stays. What they may not include are honest and open conversations about the final stages of life. How might the patient want to live during these stages? What choices are most likely to bring a sense of peace and empowerment? How might family members be included in these discussions? A growing palliative care movement is encompassing these questions, bringing together doctors, patients and their families in a new and compassionate way. This Forum event examined this movement, taking a look at the Serious Illness Care Program system developed at Ariadne Labs, as well as the upcoming launch of a national collaborative to test the use of this program in multiple healthcare systems in the U.S. This event also reviewed issues within healthcare systems, including utilization of end-of-life services and the debate around the role of payment for value.
Part of: The Andelot Series on Current Science Controversies.
Presented in Collaboration with PRI’S The World and WGBH
Background Articles
- Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preferences Near the End of Life
IOM Report
Image Credit: © GettyImages/Dan Dalton
