Palliative Radiation Therapy Andrea Bezjak Peter Kirkbride Rebecca Wong Introduction Palliative radiotherapy (RT) is radiation treatment administered to improve symptoms and relieve suffering. Half the patients who are diagnosed with…
Communication During Transitions of Care James A. Tulsky Robert M. Arnold Palliative care aims to meet the disparate needs of patients and families during a time of life-limiting illness. Good…
Cross-Cultural Issues James L. Hallenbeck People experience both health and illness in cultural contexts. A better understanding of culture helps the clinician avoid certain common pitfalls, thereby improving the chances…
Multidimensional Patient Assessment Cameron J. Muir Mary Wheeler Jennifer Carlson Nancy W. Littlefield Introduction/Background From the earliest times in medicine, there has been a significant emphasis on the relief of…
Definitions and Models of Palliative Care J. Andrew Billings In the past decade, palliative care has emerged as a recognized entity in American medicine, although its definition, scope, structure, clinical…
Epidemiology and Prognostication in Noncancer Diagnoses Daniel L. Handel Joyson Karakunnel Prognostication of illness is an important part of helping health care providers in guiding treatment. Yet, the ability of…
Epidemiology and Prognostication in Advanced Cancer Elizabeth B. Lamont Nicholas A. Christakis One meaning of prognosis is a physician’s estimate of the future course of a patient’s disease and especially…
Substance Abuse Issues in Palliative Care Steven D. Passik Megan Olden Kenneth L. Kirsh Russell K. Portenoy Introduction Chemical dependency in patients at the end of life raises complex clinical…
Depression and Anxiety Kimberly Miller Mary Jane Massie Emotional distress is a normal response to a catastrophic event such as the diagnosis of cancer or any other life-threatening medical disease….
