Palliative Care / Public Health/Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (ePub)

Palliative Care is the first book to provide a comprehensive
understanding of the new field that is transforming the way
Americans deal with serious illness.

Diane E. Meier, M.D., one of the field's leaders and a recipient
of a MacArthur Foundation "genius award" in 2009, opens the volume
with a sweeping overview of the field. In her essay, Dr. Meier
examines the roots of palliative care, explores the key legal and
ethical issues, discusses the development of palliative care, and
presents ideas on policies that can improve access to palliative
care.

Dr. Meier's essay is followed by reprints of twenty-five of the
most important articles in the field. They range from classic
pieces by some of the field's pioneers, such as Eric Cassel,
Balfour Mount, and Elizabeth Kübler-Ross, to influential newer
articles on topics such as caregiving and cost savings of
palliative care. The reprints cover a wide range of topics
including:

* Why the care of the seriously ill is so important

* Efforts to cope with advanced illness

* Legal and ethical issues

* Pain management

* Cross-cultural issues

* Philosophical perspective

The demand for palliative care has been nothing short of
stunning--largely because of palliative care's positive impact
on both the quality and the cost of care provided to seriously ill
individuals. By providing a wide-ranging perspective on this
growing field, this book will serve as a guide for developing
meaningful approaches that will lead to better health care for all
Americans.