Danger signs. Coalition points to causes and consequences of inadequate care of the dying

Dying patients and their families repeatedly express their need for supports based on compassion and caring, yet healthcare efforts focus on often ineffective technological interventions and procedures. Professional healthcare schools provide little or no formal training in pain and palliative symptom management or in the multidimensional approach to care of the dying. And the pace of change in healthcare leaves little time for communication between the patient, family, and caring team. Physician denial of death and dying has a significant impact on clinical decision making and misleads healthcare administrators about priorities. Even when clinicians want to practice holistic supportive care, they are often unable to because of competing productivity demands and lack of reimbursement. Inappropriate therapies may be initiated to justify continued care in acute and skilled nursing environments. Because healthcare professionals may not inform families about what can be done in the way of supportive care, they may choose to ¿do everything,¿ which often means using inappropriate treatments. Supportive Care of the Dying: A Coalition for Compassionate Care is a unique collaborative effort to help change the culture of dying in healthcare and to help Catholic and other organizations offer appropriate care based on respect for the sanctity of life, regard for human dignity, and a commitment to stewardship. The coalition intends to develop a comprehensive supportive care model built on Catholic values and tradition.