title: Integration of palliative care into emergency medicine: the Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine (IPAL-EM) collaboration.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Emergency department (ED) providers commonly care for seriously ill patients who suffer from advanced, chronic, life-limiting illnesses in addition to those that are acutely ill or injured. Both the chronically ill and those who present in extremis may benefit from application of palliative care principles.
  
  
  METHODS
  We present a case highlighting the opportunities and need for better integration of emergency medicine and palliative care.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We offer practical guidelines to the ED faculty/administrators who seek to enhance the quality of patient care in their own unique ED setting by starting an initiative that better integrates palliative principles into daily practice. Specifically, we outline four things to do to jumpstart this collaborative effort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine project sponsored by the Center to Advance Palliative Care is a resource that assists ED health care providers with the process and structure needed to integrate palliative care into the ED setting.
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School, Newark, New Jersey.
authors.forename: Sangeeta
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lamba
authors.affiliation: Department of Veteran's Affairs, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Paul L
authors.initials: PL
authors.lastname: DeSandre
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, MD Anderson Cancer Center, University of Texas, Houston, Texas.
authors.forename: Knox H
authors.initials: KH
authors.lastname: Todd
authors.affiliation: The Institute for Palliative Medicine at San Diego Hospice, San Diego, California.
authors.forename: Eric N
authors.initials: EN
authors.lastname: Bryant
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Nursing, University of California, San Francisco, San Francisco, California; Emergency Department Clinical Decision Unit and Palliative Care Service, Stanford Hospital & Clinics, Stanford, California.
authors.forename: Garrett K
authors.initials: GK
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Department of Emergency Medicine, Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, New York, New York.
authors.forename: Corita R
authors.initials: CR
authors.lastname: Grudzen
authors.affiliation: Medical College of Wisconsin Palliative Care Center, Medical College of Wisconsin, Milwaukee, Wisconsin.
authors.forename: David E
authors.initials: DE
authors.lastname: Weissman
authors.affiliation: Department of Veteran's Affairs, Atlanta, Georgia; Department of Emergency Medicine, Emory University School of Medicine, Atlanta, Georgia.
authors.forename: Tammie E
authors.initials: TE
authors.lastname: Quest
mesh_terms: D019033:Delivery of Health Care, Integrated / Q000458:organization & administration*; D004636:Emergency Service, Hospital / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D017410:Practice Guidelines as Topic
keywords: collaboration; emergency department; emergency medicine; integration; palliative care