Co-editors: John E.Heffner, MD & Ira R. Byock, MD
with contributions of  clinicians who are at the leading edge
 of these realms of clinical practice

Hanley and Belfus, Inc.; Philadelphia
April 2002
225 pages; 15 + illustrations
$45 (US), $50 (outside US); paperback; ISBN 1-56053-500-8

This addition to the popular Pearls Series® presents 75 case presentations of clinical interest related to end-of-life and palliative care for both hospitalized patients and patients receiving home care. The patient vignettes highlight considerations of pain and symptom management at the end of life, ethical issues related to life-supportive care, and approaches to assisting patients and families with the difficulties that surround death and dying.    

 "... This text of these individual cases mimics the clinical encounter. A brief history, physical examination, and laboratory findings set the stage for a cogent discussion of a clinical problem. The casebook conveys succinct and evidence-based information in a practical and readable format, serving as a pocket palliative care consultation. It models humane, compassionate care for patients with serious illness and outlines a clinical approach to quality symptom assessment and management, focusing on the patient and family as a unit of care. As appropriate, it recognizes the complex interactions of cultural, religious, and spiritual concerns on end-of-life decision making."

"... Health care professionals who learn and apply these clinical pearls will surely improve the quality of life for their patients and families. Moreover, they will give voice to the needs of this vulnerable population, enhancing their dignity, autonomy, and personhood."

Kathleen M. Foley, MD
Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center
New York

"Ira Byock's compassionate and important work in the field of dying has given him the four great treasures of love and freedom that all of us can use throughout our life. This wonderful book opens the doors to these jewels of compassion"

 -- Joan Halifax, Ph.D. author, Buddhist teacher, anthropologist, former research assistant to Joseph Campbell, founder and director of Ojai Foundation and founder, Upaya Foundation

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