Medical Staff

Train IM hospitalists in palliative care to ensure patient comfort

Medical Staff Briefing, April 1, 2010

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Many hospitalist programs managers—if they haven't already—will see an increase in patients' need for palliative care. According to Jean Kutner, MD, MSPH, professor of medicine and division head of general internal medicine at the University of Colorado Denver, the growing need for palliative care hospitalists is a result of the aging baby boomer population and modern medicine's ability to prolong the lives of those with chronic diseases.

"There is also a growing realization that [hospitalists] haven't been doing a good job, and there are a lot of people who have been suffering," says Kutner.

Although some hospitals have dedicated palliative care hospitalists programs, many more internal medicine hospitalist programs are providing end-of-life care. To ensure that internal medicine hospitalists have the appropriate knowledge and skills to care for terminal patients, hospitalist program managers should incorporate palliative care training into their programs' regular educational repertoire.

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