Hospice and palliative care providers unite to discuss

TAMPA – The premier meeting for healthcare providers who care for patients with life-limiting illnesses will provide disease updates as well as sessions on the latest advances in clinical research, cultural, ethical and legal, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of care.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM), in collaboration with the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, will host its Annual Assembly January 30-February 2, 2008, at the Tampa Convention Center.

This conference brings together more than 2,000 physicians, nurses, social workers, pharmacists, and others who practice hospice and palliative care. The program offers paper presentations, plenary sessions, and educational sessions.

Conference highlights include:

Dementia Care Path: Guiding the Hospice Team Through an Unpredictable Disease
Ethical Controversies at the End of Life
Evidence-Based Approach for Psychiatric Medication in Palliative Care
Improving Patient-Family-Clinician Communication in Palliative Care Settings: A New Framework
Methadone: The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly
Palliative Care Consults Gone Wrong
Patient Safety and Medical Error in Hospice and Palliative Care
Therapeutic Responses to Patient Requests for Hastened Death
What’s New in Analgesic Pharmacotherapy"

Hospice and palliative medicine is a newly recognized medical subspecialty. This unique specialty reflects the need for specialized medical care for the growing number of older adults and persons with serious, complex, and chronic illnesses, which currently pose an enormous challenge to the healthcare industry.

Palliative medicine focuses on relieving pain and suffering, improving the quality of life, and helping patients and their families to cope with life-limiting illnesses. Healthcare providers trained in palliative care are equipped to communicate with patients and families under difficult circumstances and to help them navigate the healthcare system while making decisions concordant with their goals and values. The ultimate goal is for patients to receive care in the setting of their choice. The management of physical pain and non-pain symptoms, while relieving multiple causes of suffering is a clinical focus. Palliative medicine can reduce medical costs by facilitating discussions with patients and families about changing goals of care and ensuring that patients get the highest quality care in the appropriate setting at the right time.

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AAHPM’s membership includes over 3,000 physicians and other medical professionals dedicated to excellence in palliative medicine and the prevention and relief of patient and family suffering. Since 1988, AAHPM has supported hospice and palliative medicine through advancement of clinical practice standards, fostering research, providing education, and through public policy advocacy. For more information about the 2008 Annual Assembly or membership in the Academy, contact AAHPM at 847/375-4712 or visit the web site at www.aahpm.org.

American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine
4700 W. Lake Avenue, Glenview, IL 60025-1485 ¨ 847/375-4712 ¨Fax 888/466-7574

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