Palliative Care

The end of life is one of the most critical times in the patient-physician relationship, and we prepare our residents to provide the care and support needed by terminally ill patients.

Our rotation will help you gain knowledge of areas including hospice team roles, the eight domains of quality hospice and palliative care, prognostication, pain control, causes and treatment of non-pain symptoms, nutrition and hydration in the terminally ill, care locations and the bereavement process.

Allowing terminally ill patients to die with as much comfort, dignity and control as possible is one of medicine’s most important missions, so we will familiarize you with:

• identifying and manging a plan of care for a patient based on a comprehensive interdisciplinary assessment of the patient and family’s values, goals and needs
• facilitating patient autonomy, access to information and choice
• recognizing the signs and symptoms of the imminently dying patient, and anticipating the patient’s needs 
• demonstrating systematic recognition, assessment and management of pain syndromes utilizing evidence-based medicine, including pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic treatments
• being aware of the ethical and legal issues that may limit or be the basis of a terminally ill patient’s preferences and choices
• accurately and empathetically communicating prognosis to patients and families

PGY-2

2 weeks