Looking backward toward our future: creating the nexus between community health nursing and palliative care

Palliative care literature and practice have historically been dominated by end-of-life discussion, with palliative care often seen as the prequel to hospice care. As the population ages and previously fatal illnesses convert to chronic illnesses, the medically modeled, institutionally based care model is changing. Community health nurses (CHNs) are well equipped to play a role in this arena of care. They have a population-focused practice, experience with care in the community, an orientation to health, and skills related to advocacy and social justice. The authors outline salient issues in palliative care, exemplars of community-based palliative care programs, and the contributions CHNs can make toward development of an integrated model of care. A course of action is outlined for CHNs to pursue in this rapidly developing field and they are urged to participate in the next iteration of palliative care.