Palliative Care

The National Quality Forum, NQF, has established a set of 38 best practices for improving palliative care programs outlined in “A National Framework and Preferred Practices for Palliative and Hospice Care Quality."

The Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association is an organization for individual members of the nursing team working in the specialty of hospice and palliative care across life. The site lists curriculum and other resources specific to advanced nurses, generalist nurses, licensed practical/vocational nurses, and nursing assistants.

Education in Palliative and End of Life Care, EPEC, is an online program designed to train physicians on the essential clinical competencies required to provide quality end-of-life care. A handbook and video version of the training are both available, as well as slide sets on many palliative care topics. Continuing Medical Education (CME) available.

End-of-Life Curriculum

The End-of-Life Curriculum is 16-hour web-based curriculum, which incorporates basic material designed for use by physicians in any area of expertise. Developed by the Stanford Faculty Development Center, this eight-module curriculum is implemented as a PowerPoint slide presentation, with slides and teachers' notes on both the content and teaching process.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is the professional organization for physicians specializing in hospice and palliative medicine. Membership is open to other health care providers who are committed to improving the quality of life of patients and families facing life-threatening or serious conditions.

Activities focus on education and training, resources, networking, and advocacy.

Get Palliative Care is an online resource, which provides clear comprehensive palliative care information for patients and families coping with serious, complex illness. Key components of the site include a Palliative Care Directory of Hospitals, a definition of palliative care, and a detailed description of what palliative care is and how it is different from hospice. It also provides an interactive questionnaire to assist people in determining whether palliative care is appropriate for them or their loved-ones. Provided by the Center to Advance Palliative Care.

Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (WSHPCO)

The Washington State Hospice and Palliative Care Organization (WSHPCO) is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization committed to taking a leadership role in improving end-of-life care through education and advocacy efforts. WSHPCO provides information and referral services to the public and supports the professional services at Washington state’s hospice and palliative care organizations. WSHPCO holds an annual conference at Lake Chelan in October. They also host regular educational webinars

PalliativeDoctors.org

PalliativeDoctors.org is the patient site of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM). It is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. They do hope to provide as much information about hospice and palliative care as possible.

Palliative care is for people of any age, and at any stage in illness, whether that illness is curable, chronic, or life threatening.