A recent study has found that hospital palliative care programs are failing to provide adequate numbers of staff to meet national standards . Palliative care can drastically improve patients ’ quality of life , but is often recommended only to those who are dying , not those with debilitating long - term illnesses . An analysis of 410 palliative care programs by Health Affairs found that only 25 % of funded palliative care teams had a physician , an advanced practice or registered nurse , a chaplain and a social worker , four others that are recommended by the Joint Commission . There are currently no regulatory or regulatory requirements for adequate staffing , and hospitals are not required to have palliative care teams to be accredited with the accreditation Commission .
A recent study has found that hospital palliative care programs are failing to provide adequate numbers of staff to meet national guidelines. Palliative care can drastically improve patients’ quality of life, but is often limited only to those who are dying, not those with debilitating long-term illnesses. An analysis of 410 palliative care programs by Health Affairs found that only 25% of funded palliative care teams had a physician, an advanced practice or registered nurse, a chaplain and a social worker, four roles that are recommended by the Joint Commission. There are currently no regulatory or accreditation requirements for adequate staffing, and hospitals are not required to have palliative care teams to be accredited with the Joint Commission.