Improving care for the patients who are in the last phase of their lives has been a field that most health care providers have struggled with during last few years. Having worked with hundreds of providers throughout the country, these experienced authors know what providers need when it comes to implementing a quality improvement project. This guide will provide user-friendly, step-by-step instructions on how to implement a quality improvement project in the full range of care settings. The instructions will be brought to life with specific examples from actual successful projects and key information on the best practices in the industry. Readers will also be pointed to resources available online and elsewhere, with information on how to access them. The guide will be written in an informal, maximally helpful style, with checklists, tables, and boxed information. Answering 80% of the questions in less than half the space, The Common Sense Guide is the perfect portable companion to Dr. Lynn's desk reference, Improving Care for the End of Life. The book will be of great interest to all health care professionals involved in the care of those with serious chronic illness -- doctors, nurses, social workers, chaplains, clinic administrators, quality improvement experts, and so forth.

Health care professionals seeking to improve the quality of life for those living with serious illness and nearing the end of life will find exactly what their organization needs in the second edition of this acclaimed book by Dr. Joanne Lynn and her colleagues. Improving Care for the End of Life provides expert guidance on how to make significant improvements now, at all levels of the health care system from the bedside and the hospital to the health care policy and legislative arenas by using the rapid-cycle breakthrough approach to change. The ideas are proven, and the stories of teams that have put them to use will inspire and enlighten. New to the second edition: BL New chapters to address issues of growing interest such as continuity of care, and the special needs of dementia patients and their loved ones BL Details on trajectories of care and how these affect decisions at the end of life BL Updated and expanded information on pain management, advance care planning, ventilator withdrawal, depression and delirium, advanced heart and lung disease, and more BL Scores of new insights, measurement approaches, and tips based on the experiences of hundreds of improvement teams nationwide BL Thoroughly updated references The sourcebook speaks to all managers of health care systems serving people with serious illnesses, including doctors in offices, nurse managers on hospital units, social workers in long-term care facilities, administrators of home care and hospice agencies, hospital chaplains, directors of volunteer services, and others.