'A Palliative Ethic Of Care' - Pioneering Book For End-Of-Life Care

Main Category: Palliative Care / Hospice Care
Also Included In: Cancer / Oncology;  HIV / AIDS;  Caregivers / Homecare
Article Date: 04 May 2006 - 0:00 PDT

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Medical ethicist Dr. Joseph Fins' newly published book, A Palliative Ethic of Care, examines how doctors can offer compassionate palliative care to patients facing the end of life.

The book's first part, entitled Death and Dying in Context, examines the larger ethical issues in end-of-life care while the second part takes a more pragmatic approach of how to handle specific situations. In this second part, Dr. Fins offers a "Goal of Care Assessment Tool," as a sort of blueprint for doctors to work with patients and family members to develop appropriate goals at life's end.

The book also identifies and examines barriers to effective palliative care that stem from both physicians and patients, revealing potential problems and solutions for everyone involved in the process. As Dr. Fins points out, the highly-charged Terry Schiavo case may have split the nation over physician-assisted suicide, but we remain united in our belief in palliative care and desire to improve it.

Dr Fins' book has received critical acclaim from several journals including a highly favorable review in the April 13 New England Journal of Medicine. NEJM nicely uncovered that, although the book was written for medical students, "physicians, nurses, and all others who care for those with life-limiting illnesses" would benefit from reading it as well.

Dr. Fins is chief of the Division of Medical Ethics, professor of medicine, professor of public health, and professor of medicine in psychiatry at Weill Cornell Medical College, and director of medical ethics at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center.

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