Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians [Hardcover]

Joanne Lynn M.D. (Author), Janice Lynch Schuster (Author), Anne Wilkinson (Author), Lin Noyes Simon (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: August 22, 2007 | ISBN-10: 019531042X | ISBN-13: 978-0195310429 | Edition: 2

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:

· New chapters to address issues of growing interest such as continuity of care, and the special needs of dementia patients and their loved ones.

· Details on trajectories of care and how these affect decisions at the end of life

· Updated and expanded information on pain management, advance care planning, ventilator withdrawal, depression and delirium, advanced heart and lung disease, and more

· Scores of new insights, measurement approaches, and tips based on the experiences of hundreds of improvement teams nationwide

· 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.

Editorial Reviews

Review

"The book resounds with a simple and do-able approach to getting the job done by knowing where you are and measuring improvements in specific domains. The book also includes an appendix with many valid and reliable instruments for measuring quality and standards of palliative care; tools to assess pain, spirituality, and grief; and multidimensional instruments. Improving Care for the End of Life is a sourcebook that is especially suited for managers and team leaders who are involved in end-of-life care. Others working in health care improvement will enjoy the book for its exemplification of a tried-and-true methodology for improving care."--Psychiatric Services

"This book is a wealth of information...A book that will be referenced often for its innovative ideas, resources, and usable tools."--Doody's

"This volume provides busy front-line clinicians and case managers with abundant resources for tangible contributions to the well-being of patients who are confronting the end of life...Essential reading, not only for patients and their caregivers, but for all who, sooner or later, whether they like to think of it or not, might require the care of dedicated health care professionals."--JAMA

About the Author

Joanne Lynn is a Director at RAND Center to Improve Care of the Dying.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 464 pages
• Publisher: Oxford University Press, USA; 2 edition (August 22, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 019531042X
• ISBN-13: 978-0195310429
• Product Dimensions: 9.3 x 6.3 x 1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #957,595 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

31 of 33 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Not Your Ordinary Quality Improvement Book, January 31, 2001

By 

Linda Edmondson, LCSW (Oklahoma City, OK USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians (Hardcover)

After more than fifteen years in health care as a medical social worker, I've seen my share of QI ideas. Believe me, this is the best book I've ever seen on this subject. It is everything you as a health care professional would need to get serious about using quality improvement to make real changes in practice--and in principle. If you work in end-of-life care and are tired of seeing patients with unrelieved pain, want to move beyond the living will to comprehensive advance care planning, are willing to recognize the role of spirituality in bereavement--just for example--the information you need is here. This is not your ordinary quality improvement book. It talks about real action and practical ways to change entrenched systems. The quotes at the beginning of the chapters are from Will Rogers and Yoda and Anonymous: "Never be afraid to try something new. Remember, amateurs built the Ark. Professionals built the Titanic." The authors, Dr. Joanne Lynn, Janice Lynch Schuster, and Andrea Kabcenell, have a penchant for clear writing and well-organized outlines. The book is sponsored by the Center to Improve Care of the Dying and the Institute for Healthcare Improvement. If you are ready to start improving end-of-life care tomorrow, read the book today.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

2.0 out of 5 stars Basic info already known, November 1, 2009

By 

Tammy L. Metheny "me" (New Mexico) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Improving Care for the End of Life: A Sourcebook for Health Care Managers and Clinicians (Hardcover)

I was expecting a lot more out of this book. If you have been doing end of life care for a while, this book doesn't help at all. I am going to resell it.