Palliative Care In-Patient Consult Service

Purpose

We work with the primary team to enhance communication and patient-centered care

UWMC Palliative Care
This is unpublished

Description

Palliative care provides an inter-professional team approach to supporting patients and their families facing serious illness. Our primary goal is to improve quality of life and relieve stress by addressing physical, emotional, psychological, social, spiritual and cultural needs while providing an extra layer of support and communication. This is accomplished by learning the patient’s story, exploring their goals and values, assisting with medical decision making, developing individualized care plans, providing pain and symptom relief, and offering spiritual, cultural and psychosocial support. The palliative care team is a consulting service that works alongside the primary team to enhance communication and patient-centered care.

Our Team

Attending Physicians

We have a number of attending physicians rotating on service with backgrounds in Internal Medicine, Geriatric Medicine, Family Medicine, Pulmonary Critical Care, Psychiatry, and Oncology.

Social Work

We have a full time Social Worker dedicated to the Palliative Care team. Palliative Care Social Work participates in family meetings and specializes in supporting patients and families through anticipatory grief as well as traumatic grief and loss.

Spiritual Care

We have a Harborview Chaplain dedicated to the Palliative Care team who specializes in supporting patients and families as they navigate the existential challenges that arise with serious illness.