The resilience of the human body and spirit, the science of modern health care, and the efforts of health care professionals have resulted in a larger number of patients living with increasingly complex illnesses for longer periods of time. As the number of seriously ill patients has risen, so too has the scrutiny of end-of-life care. Stories about poor end-of-life care have become unfortunately familiar to health care professionals, patients, and families. Beyond its effects on patients, poor end-of-life care can have negative impacts on the bereaved family, the involved health care professionals, and, more broadly, society when such care leads to distrust of the health care system and rising costs.
WHITE PAPER: “Conversation Ready”: A Framework for Improving End-of-Life Care (2nd Edition)
