Bringing palliative care downstairs: A case-based approach to applying palliative care principles to emergency department practice Journal Article


Authors: Berta, M.; Leon, A.; Silvey, K.
Article Title: Bringing palliative care downstairs: A case-based approach to applying palliative care principles to emergency department practice
Abstract: Although the emergency department (ED) may not be traditionally thought of as the ideal setting for the initiation of palliative care, it is the place where patients most frequently seek urgent care for recurrent issues such as pain crisis. Even if the patients' goals of care are nonaggressive, their caregivers may bring them to the ED because of their own distress at witnessing the patients' suffering. Emergency department providers, who are trained to focus on the stabilization of acute medical crises, may find themselves frustrated with repeat visits by patients with chronic problems. Therefore, it is important for ED providers to be comfortable discussing goals of care, to be adept at symptom management for chronic conditions, and to involve palliative care consultants in the ED course when appropriate. Nurse practitioners, with training rooted in the holistic tradition of nursing, may be uniquely suited to lead this shift in the practice paradigm. This article presents case vignettes of 4 commonly encountered ED patient types to examine how palliative care principles might be applied in the ED.
Journal Title: Advanced Emergency Nursing Journal
Volume: 42
Issue: 3
ISSN: 1931-4485
Publisher: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins  
Date Published: 2020-07-01
Start Page: 215
End Page: 224
Language: English
DOI: 10.1097/tme.0000000000000307
PUBMED: 32739951
PROVIDER: scopus
DOI/URL:
Notes: Article -- Export Date: 1 September 2020 -- Source: Scopus
Altmetric
Citation Impact
BMJ Impact Analytics
MSK Authors
  1. Anne Leon
    1 Leon
  2. Katherine Joan Silvey
    1 Silvey