Program assessment through outcomes analysis: efficacy of a comprehensive supportive care team for end-of-life care

Addressing end-of-life care issues is difficult in our death-denying society, particularly in the hospital environment, which is characterized by a proliferation of life-sustaining therapy. A hospital model for end-of-life care has been in practice at an urban university hospital since late 1985. Outcomes analysis at the micro-level permitted a demonstration of the practice's effectiveness over time.