Palliative Care Growth Trend Continues, According to Latest Center to Advance Palliative Care Analysis
Palliative care in U.S. hospitals continues to increase, according to a new analysis released today by the Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC).. The prevalence of hospitals (50 or more beds) with a palliative care team increased from 658 (24.5%) to 1,734 (61%)—a steady 163.5% increase from 2000-2012.
In 2000, less than one-quarter of these hospitals (658) had a palliative care program, compared with more than two-thirds (1,734) in 2012. If current trends continue, by 2015, eight in ten U.S. hospitals with 50 or more beds will have a palliative care program.
Palliative care is specialized medical care for people with serious illnesses. It focuses on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness—whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family.
Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists, who work together with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be provided along with curative treatment.
Palliative care improves health care quality in three significant ways:
- Effectively relieves physical symptoms and emotional suffering
- Strengthens patient-family-physician communication and decision making
- Ensures well-coordinated care across health care settings
The steady growth of palliative care has been primarily in response to the increasing number and needs of Americans living with serious and chronic illness. Also contributing to the rise of palliative care are the overwhelming caregiving burdens faced by patients’ families. Palliative care addresses these challenges through a strong partnership of patient, family and palliative care team.
ABOUT CAPC
The Center to Advance Palliative Care (CAPC) www.capc.org and www.getpalliativecare.org, is a national organization dedicated to increasing palliative care services for people facing serious illness. It is affiliated with The Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.
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CONTACT: Lisa Morgan, LDM Strategies, 212-924-6182 or [email protected].