Social work is a younger profession than either medicine or nursing. Although some form of social work has been present wherever social systems have been in place, social work as…
The (nursing) profession taught me so many lessons about the fragility of life, the importance of being mindful about the way you live, the need for appreciation of life’s beauty…
The emergency department (ED) cares for people with conditions all along the spectrum of illness and injury: Those with chronic, progressive illness and those with acute illness; those with and…
This chapter describes characteristics of the Veterans Administration Health System and then considers characteristics of veterans from different war eras. It describes two specific problems that veterans receiving palliative care…
The primary goal of intensive care medicine is to attempt to save lives by supporting and normalizing physiology as much as possible during an acute life-threatening illness. Since the inception…
Many of the skills required of general medicine physicians in the day-to-day care of patients are the same as those needed for specialist palliative care. Knowing how to communicate, appreciating…
The symptoms that derive from pulmonary disease processes account for a large percentage of referrals to palliative care practices. Although most of these cases involve malignant lung disease, more than…
Gastrointestinal malignancies are the most commonly diagnosed cancers in the world. Before any management decisions are made with this patient population, it is critical to understand the patient’s expected overall…
The old adage “a chance to cut is a chance to cure” is often used to characterize the primary motivation and attitude of most surgeons. Despite the commendable goal of…
