Tag Archives: End-of-life care

How Can Palliative Care Be Implemented in the ICU?

An interview with Jessica Nutik-Zitter, M.D. Part One

Today SevenPonds is speaking with Dr. Jessica Nutik-Zitter, M.D. Dr. Zitter is a board certified specialist in both critical care and hospice and palliative medicine and an attending physician in the intensive care unit at Highland Hospital in Oakland, California. … Continue reading

Posted in Professional Advice | Tagged , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Electronic Health Records Fall Short at Critical Times

Information about end-of-life wishes is often hard to find in an emergency

Over the last decade, the use of electronic health records — digital versions of the traditional medical chart — has become widespread in the United States. Incentivized by the passage in 2009 of the Health Information Technology for Economic and … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Obese Persons Receive Lower-Quality End-of-Life-Care, Study Shows

An article published this week reveals findings from the first study to look at obesity and hospice care

Research published this week in Annals of Internal Medicine reveals that obesity is linked to reduced hospice enrollment rates, fewer in-home deaths and greater Medicare expenditures six months before death. The research was published by John A. Harris, MD, MSc, … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

“At the End of Life: True Stories of How We Die” Edited by Lee Gutkind

An enlightening book takes us into the hearts of people touched by death

Lee Gutkind’s “At the End of Life: True Stories of How We Die” is not an an easy read. True stories about death and suffering rarely are. Nor is it what most of us would think of as an entertaining … Continue reading

Posted in Lending Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Studies Show Differences in Quality of Palliative Care

Black patients and patients with organ failure report poor levels of palliative care

Palliative care is designed to provide comfort to people who have terminal illnesses. Yet multiple studies show that not all patients receive the same quality of care. In one study of Veterans Administration hospitals, black patients were less likely than white patients … Continue reading

Posted in Something Special | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

“The Good Death” by Ann Neumann

A journalist questions our laws and attitudes about end of life care

After Ann Neumann’s father died following a long illness, she felt lost. For more than a year, she traveled from city to city across the globe looking to fill the massive crater that her father’s death left. When she returned to the … Continue reading

Posted in Lending Insight | Tagged , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment