Geriatrics & Palliative Medicine: Palliative Medicine

An interactive data dashboard that organizes and summarizes nationally-representative West Health-Gallup survey data on healthcare and aging in America.

Welcome to the home of Palliative Care Fast Facts and Concepts—originally published by EPERC since 2000. Fast Facts are edited by Sean Marks, MD; Associate Professor of Medicine at the Medical College of Wisconsin.

End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (2015). Fast facts and concepts #30 Prognostication, 2nd ed. https://www.mypcnow.org/fast-fact/prognostication/

End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (2015). Fast facts and concepts #179 CPR survival in the hospital setting. Available at https://www.mypcnow.org/fast-fact/cpr-survival-in-the-hospital-setting/

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Back, A., Arnold, R., Baile, W., Tulsky, J., & Fryer-Edwards, K. (2005). Approaching difficult communication tasks in oncology. CA: A Cancer Journal For Clinicians, 55(3), 164-177.

Pitorak, E. (2005). Care at the time of death... originally published in AJN, American Journal of Nursing, 103(7), 42-52, July 2003. Reprinted with permission. Home Healthcare Nurse, 23(5), 318-329.

Searight, H. R., & Gafford, J. (2005). Cultural diversity at the end of life: issues and guidelines for family physicians. American Family Physician, 71(3), 515-522.

Swetz, K. M., & Kamal, A. H. (2018). Palliative Care. Annals of internal medicine, 168(5), ITC33–ITC48. https://doi.org/10.7326/AITC201803060

Sessums LL, Zembrzuska H, Jackson JL. Does this patient have medical decision-making capacity?. JAMA. 2011;306(4):420-427. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.1023

Wood, G., Shega, J., Lynch, B., & Von Roenn, J. (2007). Management of intractable nausea and vomiting in patients at the end of life: "I was feeling nauseous all of the time . . . nothing was working". JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 298(10), 1196-1207.

Cook D, Rocker G. Dying with dignity in the intensive care unit. N Engl J Med. 2014;370(26):2506-2514. doi:10.1056/NEJMra1208795

Balaban, R. (2000). A physician's guide to talking about end-of-life care. Journal Of General Internal Medicine, 15(3), 195-200.

Tulsky, J. (2005). Perspectives on care at the close of life. Beyond advance directives: importance of communication skills at the end of life. JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association, 294(3), 359.

Arnold, R and Weissman, DE (2015). Fast facts and concepts # 042 Broaching the Topic of a Palliative Care Consultation with Patients and Families, 2nd ed. Available at https://www.capc.org/fast-facts/42-broaching-topic-palliative-care-consultation-patients-and-families/

von Gunten, CF and Weissman, DE (2015). Fast facts and concepts # 266-Consultation Etiquette in Palliative Care. Available at https://www.capc.org/fast-facts/266-consultation-etiquette-palliative-care/

von Gunten, CF and Weissman, DE (2015). Fast facts and concepts # 267-Writing the Consultation Note. Available at https://www.capc.org/fast-facts/267-writing-consultation-note/

Kahn, J., Benson, N., Appleby, D., Carson, S., & Iwashyna, T. (2010). Long-term acute care hospital utilization after critical illness. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 303(22), 2253-2259. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.761

Campbell, ML, Weissman, DE & Nelson, JE (2015). Fast facts and concepts # 253 Palliative Care Consultation in the ICU. Available at https://www.capc.org/fast-facts/253-palliative-care-consultation-icu/

James C., J., Nathaniel, M., & Ramona O., H. (2011. Cognitive Functioning, Mental Health, and Quality of Life in ICU Survivors: An Overview. Anesthesiology Clinics, 29, 751-764. doi:10.1016/j.anclin.2011.09.012

Eskildsen, M. (2007). Long-term acute care: a review of the literature. Journal Of The American Geriatrics Society, 55(5), 775-779. doi:10.1111/j.1532-5415.2007.01162.x

Wright, A., & Katz, I. (2007). Letting go of the rope--aggressive treatment, hospice care, and open access. The New England Journal Of Medicine, 357(4), 324-327.

Prendergast, T., & Puntillo, K. (2002). Withdrawal of life support: intensive caring at the end of life. JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 288(21), 2732-2740.

Appelbaum, P. (2007). Clinical practice. Assessment of patients' competence to consent to treatment. The New England Journal Of Medicine, 357(18), 1834-1840.

Widera, E., Steenpass, V., Marson, D., & Sudore, R. (2011). Finances in the older patient with cognitive impairment: "He didn't want me to take over". JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association, 305(7), 698-706. doi:10.1001/jama.2011.164

Serife, E. (2011). Palliative Care: An Evolving Field in Medicine. Primary Care: Clinics In Office Practice, 38(Palliative Care), 159-171. doi:10.1016/j.pop.2011.03.001

Finucane, T. E., Nirmalasari, O., & Graham, A. (2015). Palliative care in the ambulatory geriatric practice. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 31(2), 193-206.

Ballou, J. H., & Brasel, K. J. (2019). Palliative Care and Geriatric Surgery. Clinics in geriatric medicine, 35(1), 35-44.

Note: PowerPoint file download.

Reuben, D. (2009). Medical care for the final years of life: "When you're 83, it's not going to be 20 years". JAMA: Journal Of The American Medical Association, 302(24), 2686-2694. doi:10.1001/jama.2009.1871

Kane, R. (2011). Finding the right level of posthospital care: "We didn't realize there was any other option for him". JAMA: The Journal Of The American Medical Association, 305(3), 284-293. doi:10.1001/jama.2010.2015

Rezk, Y., Timmins, P. F., & Smith, H. S. (2011). Palliative Care in Gynecologic Oncology. American Journal Of Hospice & Palliative Medicine, 28(5), 356-374. doi:10.1177/1049909110392204

Temel, J., Greer, J., Muzikansky, A., Gallagher, E., Admane, S., Jackson, V., & ... Lynch, T. (2010). Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. New England Journal Of Medicine, 363(8), 733-742. doi:10.1056/NEJMoa1000678

Raji, M., Kuo, Y., Freeman, J., & Goodwin, J. (n.d). Effect of a dementia diagnosis on survival of older patients after a diagnosis of breast, colon, or prostate cancer - Implications for cancer care. Archives Of Internal Medicine, 168(18), 2033-2040.

May, P., Garrido, M. M., Cassel, J. B., Kelley, A. S., Meier, D. E., Normand, C., & ... Morrison, R. S. (2015). Prospective Cohort Study of Hospital Palliative Care Teams for Inpatients With Advanced Cancer: Earlier Consultation Is Associated With Larger Cost-Saving Effect. Journal Of Clinical Oncology: Official Journal Of The American Society Of Clinical Oncology,

Mitsumoto, H., & Rabkin, J. G. (2007). Palliative care for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis:“prepare for the worst and hope for the best”. Jama, 298(2), 207-216.

End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (2005). Fast facts and concepts #36 Calculating opioid dose conversions, 2nd ed. Available at https://www.capc.org/fast-facts/36-calculating-opioid-dose-conversions/

Johnson, S.J. (2007). Opioid Safety in Patients With
Renal or Hepatic Dysfunction. Pain Treatment Topics. Available at: https://anest.ufl.edu/wordpress/files/2021/09/Opioids-Renal-Hepatic-Dysfunction.pdf

End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (2015). Fast facts and concepts #72 Opioid infusion titration orders, 2nd ed. Available at https://www.mypcnow.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/FF-72-infusion-orders.-3rd-ed.pdf

• On the upper right corner of screen, click to create an account. Toggle to find George Washington University Hospital. Create an account, agree to the terms, and login.


• Go to 'CAPC Central' then click on 'Training Curriculum.' Recommended modules are: Pain Management Curriculum; Communication Curriculum; and, Symptom Management Curriculum.

Mahler, D., Selecky, P., Harrod, C., Benditt, J., Carrieri-Kohlman, V., Curtis, J., & ... Waller, A. (2010). American College of Chest Physicians consensus statement on the management of dyspnea in patients with advanced lung or heart disease. Chest, 137(3), 674-691. doi:10.1378/chest.09-1543

Wilner, L.S. & Arnold, R.M. (2015). Fast facts and concepts #93 Cannabinoids in the treatment of symptoms in cancer and AIDS, 2nd ed.

End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (2003). Fast facts and concepts #100 Megestrol acetate for cancer anorexia/cachexia. Available at https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD004310.pub3/full