IOM Report on End-of-Life Care Calls for Overhaul of System Geared toward Curative Care

​With the rapidly increasing number of older Americans, the healthcare system must be better designed to meet the needs of patients nearing the end of life and their families, says a new report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM). The report, Dying in America: Improving Quality and Honoring Individual Preference Near the End of Life, recommends the following opportunities for improvement in end-of-life care: the availability of person-centered, family-oriented approaches to palliative care, which provides relief from pain and other symptoms and supports quality of life; the development of standards to guide clinician/patient communication in advance care planning; measures to support clinician training to meet patients' palliative care needs; and healthcare reforms to support policies and payment incentives for high-quality end-of-life care.