Promoting palliative care to improve quality of life: how healthcare organizations can start and maintain effective programs.

Abstract

In recent years, many hospitals and healthcare organizations have begun to focus on palliative care for their patients with serious chronic, debilitating, or life-threatening illnesses. Today, about 950 hospitals provide palliative care to their patients-up from just a handful only 5 years ago. And the number is expected to quickly rise. But are these organizations' palliative care programs providing all the support and services they can to maintain quality care for their patients?