The Palliative Care Research Cooperative

Jean S. Kutner, MD, MSPH

Division of General Internal Medicine
Department of Medicine
University of Colorado Denver School of Medicine
Denver, Colorado

Palliative care represents a systematic approach to ameliorate suffering and improve quality of life in patients with advanced, life-threatening disease and their caregivers. Indeed, appropriately administered palliative can reduce many common symptoms associated with end-of-life (eg, pain, fatigue, and dyspnea), improve mood and satisfaction with care, promote more efficient use of healthcare resources, reduce caregiver stress, and even extend patient survival. Importantly, collaboration among specialists in medicine, nursing, spirituality, psychology, social work, and medical ethics is often required. Scientific research in palliative medicine is still emerging, however. Here, Dr. Kutner describes the formation of the Palliative Care Research Cooperative (PCRC), an interdisciplinary group funded by the National Institutes of Health and National Institute for Nursing Research. The PCRC is attempting to expand the evidence base in palliative care by addressing such topic as when to discontinue disease-modifying medication in patients with limited life expectancy, appropriate initiation of hospice, and best practices for psychosocial support for patients and caregivers. To examine these and other important research gaps, the PCRC will rely on multisite studies and a committed group of experts to prioritize research goals that can be efficiently adopted into clinical practice.

References

Abernethy AP, Aziz NM, Basch E, et al. A strategy to advance the evidence base in palliative medicine: formation of a palliative care research cooperative group. J Palliat Med. 2010;13(12):1407-1413.
Leblanc TW, Kutner KS, Ko D, et al. Developing the evidence base for palliative care: formation of the palliative care research cooperative and its first trial. Hosp Pract (Minneap). 2010;38(5):137-143.
Temel JS, Greer JA, Muzikansky A, et al. Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. N Engl J Med. 2010;383(8):733-742.

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