Clinical Guidelines— Froedtert Hospital/Medical College of Wisconsin

The Palliative Care Committee is a standing committee reportable through the Medical Staff Committee structure at Froedtert Hospital. Between 2000-2003 several clinical guidelines have been developed to a) augment hospital policies in support of best palliative care practices, b) to serve as educational vehicles for physician, nursing and other hospital staff and c) as benchmarks for quality improvement activities. The guidelines were all developed as consensus documents among various hospital committees and relevant departments. For example, the guideline concerning use of feeding tubes in advanced dementia was developed by the hospital’s Palliative Care and Ethics committees with input from members of the Geriatrics, Neurology, and GI Radiology departments.

The clinical guidelines include the following topics:

• Analgesic Guidelines for acute and chronic pain
• Do Not Resuscitate Orders
• Managing Conflicts concerning End-of-Life decisions
• Feeding Tubes in advanced dementia and end-of-life
• Use of pentobarbital for total sedation
• Protocol for ventilator withdrawal in the dying patient

Disclaimer: The Froedtert/Medical College Clinical Palliative Care Guidelines provide educational information, this information is not medical advice. Health care providers should exercise their own independent clinical judgment. Some information cites the use of a product in dosage, for an indication, or in a manner other than that recommended in the product labeling. Accordingly, the official prescribing information should be consulted before any such product is use

Copyright/Referencing Information : Users are free to download and distribute the Clinical Guidelines for educational purposes. Citation for referencing: Weissman DE . “Title” . End-of-Life Palliative Education Resource Center www.eperc.mcw.edu.