New policy statement for people with serious respiratory illness!

Consortium members were involved in a newly published multi-society policy statement on early palliative care for people with serious respiratory illness. Please click 'More' below for further information and a link to the statement.

https://www.atsjournals.org/doi/full/10.1164/rccm.202207-1262ST

People with serious respiratory illnesses and their caregivers suffer considerable burdens, and palliative care is a fundamental right for anyone who needs it. This policy statement establishes a detailed framework for early palliative care in serious respiratory illness and provides guidance for pulmonary–critical care clinicians and policymakers for its proactive integration. Topics covered include symptom assessment and management, including of breathlessness, caregiver support and health disparities. It recommends that comprehensive, individualized assessment of symptoms and needs should occur at every routine clinical encounter, and identifies breathlessness as a triggers for initiating palliative care. The statement also highlights studies to identify best practices in pharmaceutical and nonpharmaceutical management of common symptoms in respiratory illnesses, like Better-B as a research priority.