CONTACT: David Olejarz, Henry Ford Health System, (313) 874-4094 [email protected]
CD-ROM Offers Guidance on End-of-Life Decisions
DETROIT - When patients require end-of-life care, it doesn't have to mean they're giving up. In fact, at this stage people can take charge in many areas of life.
Whether the issue is relieving pain, financial planning, resolving conflict or decisions about their care, patients need to be aware that they have control over how they want to complete their life.
These and many other issues are the focus of a unique, interactive CD-ROM developed in partnership by Henry Ford Health System and Michigan State University. Called Completing a Life, the CD-ROM is a helpful resource for patients to better plan for their medical, financial and personal needs. It costs $29.95 and can be purchased by calling MSU's Instructional Media Center at (517) 353-9229.
The CD-ROM was the brainchild of Leslie Bricker, M.D., a medical oncologist and director of Henry Ford's Palliative Medicine and Hospice programs, and Karen Ogle, M.D., director of MSU's Palliative Care Education and Research Program. Bricker says its premise is to enhance communication between the patient and his or her physician prior to and during end-of-life care.
"There's truly nothing else like this around," Bricker says. "This technology puts vital information in the patient's hand and helps them gain that all-so-important sense of control."
Completing a Life is believed to be the first of its kind CD-ROM in the United States among patient education resource materials available for end-of-life care. It offers 30 hours of content, including discussion topics about pain and suffering, goal setting, family decisions, ethical wills, spiritual issues and advance care planning.
Completing a Life also features a section of video-streaming personal stories, during which people discuss their real-life experiences. There's Frank, who talks of receiving care at home with the help of his son; and Jeanne, who discusses pain control. "Don't hesitate to ask for help," she says. Corrine shares her experience about how "patients need to make choices."
With patients who routinely use their computer to access health information, making a CD-ROM represents the latest example of how the health care industry is using computer technology to better educate and inform patient. In fact, there is growing evidence that patients with access to health information play a more vital role in their treatment and have better medical outcomes.
The CD-ROM was developed as part of a $440,000 grant from the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation in support of several initiatives undertaken at Henry Ford to enhance end-of-life care. The foundation is the nation's largest philanthropy devoted exclusively to health care. Henry Ford is one of 23 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation grant recipients involved in end-of-life care initiatives.
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EDITOR'S NOTE: Copies of the CD-ROM are available to the media. Contact David Olejarz, Public Relations Department, at (313) 874-4094 or [email protected].
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