The Hospice journal
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The Hospice journal · Jan 1999
Review Case ReportsBalancing the focus: art and music therapy for pain control and symptom management in hospice care.
Pain and symptom management are a major part of hospice care. Literature and direct experience suggest that pain can be resistant if psychological, emotional, or spiritual issues are not addressed. ⋯ Brief clinical examples demonstrate the use of art and music therapies for pain reduction with a variety of hospice patients. Information regarding appropriate education and training necessary for art and music therapists to practice in their field is presented.
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In the twenty years since the National Hospice Organization began, hospice has grown tremendously. However, it still only serves a small percentage of terminally ill patients. ⋯ These barriers to care include societal attitudes towards death, diversity issues, socioeconomic issues, and eligibility issues. In order to develop and serve more of the population, hospice agencies must be flexible, creative, and use ingenuity to bridge the gaps that occur for some terminally ill patients.
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The Hospice journal · Jan 1998
ReviewPain and the barriers to its relief at the end of life: a lesson for improving end of life health care.
Pain among cancer patients is a common distressing symptom that frequently affects physical functioning, social interaction, psychological status, and quality of life. Despite the extensive body of knowledge available regarding cancer pain assessment and management, it often remains untreated, thereby diminishing the quality of patient care at the end of life. Recommendations on how to remove these barriers, as well as to improve care of the dying in general, need to be implemented by the U. S. government.
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As the concept of hospice has evolved in the United States, it has become apparent that there is a significant need for increased physician participation in all aspects of the care of terminally ill patients provided by hospice programs. Four distinct physician roles have emerged: the attending physician, the consulting physician, the hospice medical director, and the hospice team physician. As the roles of the hospice medical director and team physician have become better defined, many physicians are finding that palliative medicine and full time hospice employment is a rewarding career option. The increased involvement of physicians in all aspects of hospice and palliative care will result in measurable improvement in the quality of patient care that hospice programs provide to terminally ill patients and families.