Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care

The mission of the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care is to create clinical practice guidelines that improve the quality of palliative care in the United States. Specifically, the clinical practice guidelines promote quality palliative care, foster consistent and high standards in palliative care, and encourage continuity of care across settings. Since there is shared responsibility for palliative care across health care settings, the emphasis is on collaborative partnerships within and between hospitals, community centers, hospices, and home health agencies to ensure quality, continuity, and access to palliative care. The Clinical Practice Guidelines serve as a manual or blueprint to create new programs and guide developing programs.