Publications
APS Bulletin • Volume 10, Number 4, July/August 2000
Resource Reviews
John D. Loeser, MD, Department Editor
Hospice Care Planning: An Interdisciplinary Guide
Reviewed by Stuart Farber, MD
C.L. Frozena & M. Hurtt, Aspen Publishers, Gaithersburg, MD, 1999, $129 (3-ring binder), ISBN 0-8342-1624-6
Early in the first chapter the authors discuss the power and importance of narrative in the management of dying patients and their families. They write, “Stories are powerful. Jesus used this power in his use of stories to teach his followers.” This biblical reference aptly characterizes their book. Making liberal use of patient stories, the two nursing colleagues share with religious intensity their perspective of hospice care. The information is comprehensive, sound, well described, and excellently organized. Of particular value are the well-crafted nursing care plans for almost any possible situation that may be encountered while providing hospice care. Novice clinicians and those early in their experience will find this an excellent book. More experienced clinicians will find little new in these pages. The hospice gospel is expounded excellently, but no heresy is broached. The limits and challenges of hospice care and the rich contexts of this healthcare activity are left for others to describe.
Stuart Farber is assistant professor of family medicine at the University of Washington in Seattle.