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Palliative care

What is palliative care?
Palliative care at Massey
National leadership in palliative care
Leading the way

What is palliative care?

Palliative care is comprehensive care for patients and families with a focus on alleviating suffering from serious, chronic illness. This holistic approach encompasses decision-making and establishing the goals of care; symptom assessment and pain management; and meeting physical, emotional, spiritual and practical needs.

Hospice care, which shares many features of palliative care, is designed specifically for patients whose life expectancy is six months or less. Palliative care, on the other hand, encompasses end-of-life care as well as care that can be delivered simultaneously with life-prolonging and curative treatments for people living with serious illnesses.

The interdisciplinary palliative care team includes physicians, nurses, social workers, clergy, dieticians and volunteers. They deliver support options tailored to the distinct needs of patients and families.

Palliative care at Massey

At a glance:

11-bed inpatient unit
About 50 percent of patients have cancer
Large family room with full kitchen
Liberal visiting hours; children of all ages and pets allowed
Clinical staff meets daily to coordinate the needs for each patient and family

National leadership in palliative care

Tom Smith, M.D., co-founded the program at Massey with Patrick Coyne, M.S.N., APRN, and his studies have received widespread attention. One study, featured in the Wall Street Journal, underscored that palliative care is not only the right way to treat the seriously ill, but an unintended outcome is cost savings for health care institutions.

“Instead of spending resources on ‘last-ditch efforts’ when there is no cure, we can help families get on the same page with regards to care and enjoy the best quality of life possible,” Smith explains.

Another study addresses chemotherapy at the end of life. Titled “When is Enough, Enough?” it provides guidelines to help patients and families balance the benefits and side effects of chemotherapy when the chances of the cancer shrinking may be small.

Leading the way

Under the leadership of Coyne and Smith:

Massey is one of six Palliative Care Leadership Centers nationwide designated by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation to provide on-site training for clinicians and administrators. Personnel from more than 75 institutions have learned how to develop and manage palliative care programs from experts at Massey.
Massey serves as the Virginia Initiative for Palliative Care training site, with funding from the legislature, to provide free on-site training to health care and supportive care professionals statewide.
Massey is one of three out of 1,500 palliative care programs to win the prestigious Circle of Life award from the American Hospital Association, among other awards.