title: Primary palliative care clinic pilot project demonstrates benefits of a nurse practitioner-directed clinic providing primary and palliative care.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The purpose of the Primary Palliative Care Pilot Project was to determine if patients with a life-limiting illness who receive their primary care and palliative care from a consistent provider via a nurse practitioner (NP)-founded and-directed Primary Palliative Care Clinic at a public hospital would have improved symptom management and decreased emergency department utilization over time.
  
  
  METHODS
  All patients followed in the Harborview Primary Palliative Care Clinic from January to March 2010.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The results of this project demonstrate that patients with a life-limiting illness who receive their primary care and palliative care in an NP-founded and -directed Primary Palliative Care Clinic have decreased utilization of the emergency department, and some experience improvement in symptom assessment scores.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Palliative care providers and administrators should explore opportunities to expand outpatient palliative care clinics with an emphasis on primary care and continuity of care. NPs by experience and education are ideally suited to manage both primary and palliative care needs for people at the end of life.
authors.affiliation: Outpatient Palliative Care Services, Harborview Medical Center, Seattle, Washington 98104, USA. owensd@uw.edu
authors.forename: Darrell
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Owens
authors.forename: Kerry
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Eby
authors.forename: Sean
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Burson
authors.forename: Meghan
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Green
authors.forename: Wendy
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: McGoodwin
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Isaac
mesh_terms: D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009722:Nurse Practitioners; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010865:Pilot Projects; D011320:Primary Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D014861:Washington