Introduction
Greetings to everyone in Blog-Land; this is my first Blog, so be kind! Many of you know me from my work in Palliative Medicine and Pain Management for the past 20 years. I am Professor of Internal...
View ArticleFast Facts FAQ
I receive many questions about Palliative Care Fast Facts and Concepts (www.eperc.mcw.edu); here is a FAQ of common issues:1. Who may author a Fast Fact? Anyone; I welcome submissions from new...
View ArticleInpatient Units
I receive frequent questions about the role of inpatient units for palliative care or hospice in acute care hospitals. There are a variety of opinions on the subject and just as many variations of...
View ArticleOnco-Industrial Complex
Back in the late 1980s a friend coined the term "lunatic fringe of medical oncology" for a small group of oncologists, myself included, who were advocating improved end-of-life care education and...
View ArticlePrognostication
Much has been written on the topic of prognostication; in general, physicians do a lousy job both in initiating the conversation and providing any useful information to patients and families. In the...
View ArticleCPR Musings
I'm in the midst of a spirited debate with professional colleagues in SE Wisconsin regarding the role of patient autonomy in CPR decisions. On the one side are those who belive it is appropriate for...
View ArticleMyth Buster #1 Fentanyl
I freely admit I'm a Myth Buster junkie--for those who don't know what I'm talking about, Myth Busters is a cable TV show where two guys go about proving or disproving myths from movies and everday...
View ArticleMyth Buster #2 Lorazepam
Anyone who makes rounds with me know that when the topic of lorazepam (Ativan) as an anti-emetic comes up, I start to twitch. It was during my oncology fellowship some 20 years ago that I remember the...
View ArticleMyth Buster #3 Education changes practice
Everyone agrees that health professionals need more education regarding palliative care. But what can education alone accomplish in terms of changing behavior? We have over 20 years of experience with...
View ArticleMyth Buster #4 NHPCO Non-Cancer Guidelines
The NHPCO guidelines for non-cancer diagnoses were published in 1996 as a well intentioned attempt to help hospices and clinicians decide when it was appropriate to refer patients for hospice care...
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