TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - Care of Patients at the End of Life A1 - Rabow, Michael W. A1 - Pantilat, Steven Z. A1 - Shah, Ann Cai A1 - Poree, Lawrence A1 - Mitra, Raj A2 - Papadakis, Maxine A. A2 - McPhee, Stephen J. A2 - Rabow, Michael W. A2 - McQuaid, Kenneth R. PY - 2023 T2 - Current Medical Diagnosis & Treatment 2023 AB - In the United States, more than 2.85 million people die each year. Approximately 56 million people die each year worldwide. COVID-19 has emerged as a common cause of death both in the United States and around the world. Caring for patients at the end of life is an important responsibility and a rewarding opportunity for clinicians. From the medical perspective, the end of life may be defined as that time when death—whether due to terminal, acute or chronic illness—is expected within hours to months and can no longer be reasonably forestalled by medical intervention. Palliative care at the end of life focuses on relieving distressing symptoms and promoting quality of life, as it does in all other stages of illness. For patients at the end of life, palliative care may become the sole focus of care. While there are many topics—including prognosis, communication, psychological and cultural considerations, and clinician self-care—that are relevant throughout the course of palliative care—the topics below are considered with a particular focus on care for patients who are at the end of life. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/03/28 UR - accessmedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1193126374 ER -