A doctor on the front lines of hospital care illuminates one of the most important and controversial social issues of our time. It is harder to die in this country than ever before. Though the vast majority of Americans would prefer to die at home—which hospice care provides—many of us spend our last days fearful and in pain in a healthcare system ruled by high-tech procedures and a philosophy to “fight disease and illness at all cost.” Dr. Ira Byock, one of the foremost palliative-care physicians in the country, argues that how we die represents a national crisis today. To ensure the best possible elder care, Dr. Byock explains we must not only remake our healthcare system but also move beyond our cultural aversion to thinking about death. The Best Care Possible is a compelling meditation on medicine and ethics told through page-turning life-or-death medical drama. It has the power to lead a new national conversation.

The world's leading source of evidence-based guidance on caring for patients at the end of life. Featuirng the content of the world's most widely read medical journal, plus completely new, never-before-published content. Perfect for medical students, trainees, and clinicians alike. Market / Audience Medical students: 18000/yr US, 250,000 global NP and PA students: 25,000/yr US, 50,000+ global IM and FP residents: 30,000 US, 60,000 global IM and FP clinicians: 140,000 US, 300,000+ global Palliative medicine: 3000 US Oncology: 20,000 US, 60,000 global Social workers About the Book In the tradition of the User's Guides to the Medical Literature, and The Rational Clinical Examination, JAMA/Care at the Close of Life is based on a widely successful series of articles appearing over the course of the last ten years in JAMA, the world's most widely read medical journal. The series is directed by Stephen McPhee, a leading authoriity of end of life care, and the chief editor of our market leading Current Medical Diagnosis and Treatment text. The articles in the series cover fundamental topics and challenges in caring for patients who have been given a terminal diagnosis. Featuring a strong focus on evidence-based medicine, and organized by clinical cases, the articles are widely read by faculty, medical students, and clinicians who, frankly, have not been given a solid educational experience on this very important medical issue. The book will be physically modeled after The Rational Clinical Examination, in a full color format that highlights the clinical cases. It will be well suited for use as an required or recommended textbook for medical, PA, and NO students, and as a clinical reference text for trainees and practicing physicians and nurses. Key Selling Features Based on highy regarded content from the world's most widely read medical journal All content is completely updated, and extensive new, never-before-published content has been added Case-based, and evidence-based, so its a perfect fit for the way medical students and residents like to learn Focuses on practical, real-world issues for primary care physicians, and avoids esoteric issues of interest only to specialists in palliative care Full color format, modeled after the highly regarded Rational Clinical Examination Includes multimedia materials available on line: Power Point slides for teaching, and video interviews with patients in end-of-life care, so that faculty and students get supplemental resources for learning the art and science of care at the end of life Evidence-based guidance from the world's leading medical journal, on a critical topic that has been neglected in medical education and training until recently. Author Profile JAMA is the world's most widely read medical journal, and has a reputation for excellence in evidence-based medicine. Stephen McPhee has high visbility on account of his editorship of CMDT, and for his driving role in enhancing end of life care in medical education and training programs. He is: Professor of Medicine, UCSF School of Medicine, San Francisco CA

Revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide with translations in 29 languages. After too many years of unfulfilling work, Bronnie Ware began searching for a job with heart. Despite having no formal qualifications or previous experience in the field, she found herself working in palliative care. During the time she spent tending to those who were dying, Bronnie's life was transformed. Later, she wrote an Internet blog post, outlining the most common regrets that the people she had cared for had expressed. The post gained so much momentum that it was viewed by more than three million readers worldwide in its first year. At the request of many, Bronnie subsequently wrote a book, The Top Five Regrets of the Dying, to share her story. Bronnie has had a colourful and diverse life. By applying the lessons of those nearing their death to her own life, she developed an understanding that it is possible for everyone, if we make the right choices, to die with peace of mind. In this revised edition of the best-selling memoir that has been read by over a million people worldwide, with translations in 29 languages, Bronnie expresses how significant these regrets are and how we can positively address these issues while we still have the time. The Top Five Regrets of the Dying gives hope for a better world. It is a courageous, life-changing book that will leave you feeling more compassionate and inspired to live the life you are truly here to live.

Once defiant of death--or even in denial--many American families and health care professionals are embracing the notion that a life consumed by suffering may not be worth living. Sociologist Roi Livne documents the rise and effectiveness of hospice and palliative care, and the growing acceptance that less treatment may be better near the end of life.

Many of us live at a pace that is impossible to keep. Unrelenting busyness might feel necessary, but it can lead to chronic stress and burnout that hinders our love for God and others. Instead of adding more to our long to-do list, counselors Eliza Huie and Esther Smith guide readers in how to think biblically about their whole life. They give Christians a framework for biblical self-care that will help them live for Christ by stewarding the spiritual, emotional, relational, and physical aspects of life. The Whole Life: 52 Weeks of Biblical Self-Care outlines a balanced life of stewardship, offering practical strategies for Christians to grow in honoring God and caring for others. The authors focus on six key areas: faith, health, purpose, community, work, and rest. Each chapter addresses a specific topic and guides readers in thinking biblically about their whole life. Breaking down the misconceptions that self-care is not biblical, The Whole Life reveals that caring for yourself doesn’t mean you are being selfish or lazy. Instead, it’s a way of stewarding every part of your life for God’s glory and the good of others. Contrary to what our culture might lead us to believe, exhaustion and burnout are not unavoidable pitfalls of a faithful Christian life. Instead, they are warning signs that we need to turn to God for daily help. This book will reorient readers to the core value of resting their heart, mind, and strength in Christ.

The problems of medical care confront us daily: a bureaucracy that makes a trip to the doctor worse than a trip to the dentist, doctors who can't practice medicine the way they choose, more than 40 million people without health insurance. "Medical care is in crisis," we are repeatedly told, and so it is. Barely one in five Americans thinks the medical system works well. Enter David M. Cutler, a Harvard economist who served on President Clinton's health care task force and later advised presidential candidate Bill Bradley. One of the nation's leading experts on the subject, Cutler argues in Your Money or Your Life that health care has in fact improved exponentially over the last fifty years, and that the successes of our system suggest ways in which we might improve care, make the system easier to deal with, and extend coverage to all Americans. Cutler applies an economic analysis to show that our spending on medicine is well worth it--and that we could do even better by spending more. Further, millions of people with easily manageable diseases, from hypertension to depression to diabetes, receive either too much or too little care because of inefficiencies in the way we reimburse care, resulting in poor health and in some cases premature death. The key to improving the system, Cutler argues, is to change the way we organize health care. Everyone must be insured for the medical system to perform well, and payments should be based on the quality of services provided not just on the amount of cutting and poking performed. Lively and compelling, Your Money or Your Life offers a realistic yet rigorous economic approach to reforming health care--one that promises to break through the stalemate of failed reform.