A hospital-based comfort care team: consultation for seriously ill and dying patients

Access to hospice and palliative care services has been limited primarily to patients in the final stages of malignant terminal illness. Many have recognized the need to expand the scope of care to include other needy populations. This article describes the clinical activities of the Oregon Health Sciences University (OHSU) Comfort Care Team. This physician directed inter-disciplinary team provides consultation for any seriously ill patient with comfort care needs. There is no requirement that patients be in the final stages of a terminal illness, nor that they forego curative or life-prolonging treatments. The initial experience of this team supports the usefulness of a broader focus of care. The majority of patients referred for consultation would not have been served under a traditional palliative care model.