Co-Principal Investigators: Susan Tolle, M.D. and Virginia Tilden, RN, DNSc

To compare end-of-life care in three major settings in Oregon: acute care hospitals, nursing homes, and home/hospice. Using death certificates of recently deceased adults, the investigators will access families and providers and collect data on the following key variables: 1) advance directives; 2) the extent to which deaths followed advance planning; 3) access to hospice; 4) preference for location of death vs. location of actual death; 5) degree of pain and suffering vs. effectiveness of comfort care efforts; 6) decision making about level of aggressiveness of treatment; 7) family satisfaction with care and identification of problems; 8) provider identification of barriers to compassionate care.

 |  $150, 000  |  Two Years