“I've always been interested in palliative care but haven't found a good way to get involved. With the COVID crisis, my interest is rekindled.”
I recently received this text from a friend, one of several similar ones I've received during the COVID pandemic. With more anesthesiologists working in critical care, or just having time away from the OR to think about their “big picture” interests, I have found a surge in interest about how private practice anesthesiologists can get involved in palliative care.
Anesthesiologists are uniquely positioned to serve as palliative care physicians due to their expertise in pain and symptom management, comfort working as part of a multidisciplinary team, and their frequent care of critically ill patients (J Clin Anesth 2014;26:429-31). Based on a survey issued by the Committee for Palliative Medicine to the ASA membership in 2016, there are at least 150 anesthesiologists board-certified in hospice...