The group received 90 percent of its $5 million in funding in 2010 from the drug and medical-device industry, and its guides for patients, journalists and policymakers had played down the risks associated with opioid painkillers while exaggerating the benefits.
Of the 103 who received prescriptions last year, 94 are known to have died. Seventy of these died after taking the medication. Nineteen died without taking the medication. In five deaths, it is not known whether or not they took the medication.
96 percent responding that they believe enhancing the quality of life for seriously ill patients is more important than extending life as long as possible.
Acute pain can be harrowing — and receiving prompt and helpful treatment can make all the difference in the world.
Programs aim to bring palliative care to emergency rooms where end-of-life wishes can be forgotten in the rush to provide treatment.
It’s about how we approach care.
Many Washingtonians say it’s more important to enhance the quality of life for seriously ill patients than to extend their lives through every possible medical intervention, Seattle Times health reporter Carol Ostrom writes.
Very ill patients, even when not facing death, can benefit from better pain and symptom management from specially trained palliative care teams.
The doctors, nurses, and social workers, trained in the relatively new specialty of pediatric palliative care, manage complex pain and symptoms while supporting families as they navigate bewildering medical terrain, set goals of care, and make tough decisions that match those goals.
Most people would agree that when the time comes, they want a “good death.”
But what that means is all too often left up in the air until a crisis strikes or the stricken person is no longer able to communicate his wishes or his advance planning documents are not clear.
The burden then often falls on surrogate decision-makers.
Patients will be able to receive hospice care while continuing to receive life-prolonging treatments. Currently, patients have to choose one or the other.
Service dogs for post-traumatic stress disorder. Voice of autism: six men and women talk about living with autism-spectrum disorder. And a palliative care doctor who chose to fight on.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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