Featured Programs of The Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care

Center for Fatigue in Medical Illness
Jacob Perlow Hospice
Palliative Care for Advanced Disease

Center for Fatigue in Medical Illness
The Center for Fatigue in Medical Illness is a collaborative project between the Department of Pain Medicine and the Cancer Center. An interdisciplinary team assesses and treats patients who experience chronic fatigue as a result of an underlying medical illness and/or its treatment. Patients with cancer, AIDS, neurodegenerative diseases, and other diseases often experience severe fatigue and could benefit from this program.

The Center takes a comprehensive approach to care and employs a wide array of pharmacologic and nonpharmacologic therapies. The program also promotes research, allowing patient participation in clinical trials, and education of patients, their caregivers, and medical professionals.

Because fatigue related to medical illness can have several underlying causes, a minimum of four visits can be expected. Treatments are tailored to meet the individual needs and lifestyles of each patient, and are provided by a specialty team of physicians, advanced practice nurses, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, exercise therapists, and other key personnel. The Center currently operates as a demonstration project, offering a model of care for the management of fatigue and improved quality of life.

The Center for Fatigue in Medical Illness is a demonstration project supported in part by an unrestricted educational grant from Ortho Biotech, Inc.

For more information contact:

Marilyn Bookbinder, RN, PhD
Director of Nursing
Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care
Beth Israel Medical Center
1st Avenue at 16th Street
New York, NY 10003
Phone (212) 844-1462
mbinder@bethisraelny.org

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Palliative Care for Advanced Disease
Funded by a New York State Department of Health Quality Measurement Grant, the Palliative Care for Advanced Disease (PCAD) program offers a model of care for patients with incurable illness and their loved ones.

The PCAD care path is a plan of care that focuses on relieving suffering and maximizing quality at the end of life. A team of physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, nutritionists, and therapists is available to assist patients and their families with all aspects of care: physical, psychosocial and spiritual. The priorities of care are:

	Relief of pain and other distressing symptoms
	Effective and compassionate communication
	Respect for patient and family wishes, and cultural and spiritual preferences
	Coordination of medical resources to achieve patient goals
	Support for experiences of loss and expressions of grief