Using examples taken from a year-long collaborative on improving end-of-life care, Improving Care aims to equip readers with the best available advice on how to make substantial improvements in the delivery of health
care to seriously ill people who are coming to the end of life. The books intended audience includes anyone working in health care management, ranging from doctors, nurse managers and social workers, to administrators, hospital chaplains, and directors of volunteer services. Improving Care describes the gains organizations have made, the changes they have attempted and the successes they have achieved. By offering step-by-step stories of successful efforts to provide good end-of-life care, the book provides a template for organizations interested in improving the way people die in Americas health care system and closing the gap between what is known about good end-of life care and what is actually done for patients. By seeing what didn't work, readers can avoid common pitfalls.