Palliative Care

Tuesdays 8:00 – 9:00AM

According to the Center to Advance Palliative Care’s 2024 Serious Illness Scorecard, while most hospitals in Illinois with more than 50 beds have a palliative care program, only 37% of hospitals with less than 50 beds provide palliative care. Additionally, while 85% of Illinois hospitals in urban areas provide palliative care, only 22% of rural hospitals provide it.  This is lower than the average for the region (IL, IN, MI, OH, WI) in which 47% of rural hospitals have palliative care programs. The number of prescribers certified in specialty palliative care per 100,000 population in Illinois is 2.1, which is also lower than the regional rate of 2.8 and the national average of 2.7. As noted by Meier et al (2017), it is unrealistic to expect there to ever be a sufficient number of certified palliative care providers to meet the need. However, significant gaps can be filled by training front-line clinicians in how to effectively communicate with patients and families in the context of serious illness (e.g. relaying bad news, helping patients and families make the best use of remaining time together, etc.) and management of symptoms such as shortness of breath, fatigue, and depression. This ECHO series will work towards expanding access to high-quality palliative care for patients with serious illness in Illinois, particularly in rural and small hospital settings by building the knowledge, skills, and confidence of frontline clinicians. Through telementoring and case-based learning, the series will equip primary care providers with practical communication and symptom management strategies to deliver patient- and family-centered palliative care, helping to address workforce shortages and reduce disparities in access to palliative care services.

Topics for Case-Based Learning and Discussion Include:

• Overview of Palliative Care
• Advance Care Planning
• Non-Malignant Pain Management
• Safe Opioid Prescribing Practices
• Non-Opioid Pain Management
• Prognostication in Serious Illness Care
• Serious Illness Communication Skills
• Hospice Care
• Total Pain
• Processing Grief for Providers, Patients and Caregivers
• GI Symptoms in Serious Illness