Caring for Patients Nearing Life’s End: Managing Symptoms in the Final Weeks, Days and Hours of Living

PLEASE READ: This activity is repurposed from the live webinar that took place in September 2023. If you have accessed and claimed your CE credit prior, you cannot claim credit again.

Caring for patients nearing life’s end is a complex and delicate process that requires specialized knowledge and skills in clinical practice. Through a progressive case-study format, this webinar is designed to provide learners with the knowledge and skills needed to support optimal symptom management and communication in the final weeks, days, and hours of living. Content will focus on hospice eligibility, PPS and ECOG scoring/functional assessments, symptom management to include nutrition/hydration, pain, terminal secretions, delirium, and dyspnea. Additional content focus will focus on discerning imminent state (prognosis of hours to days), effective communication skills surrounding expectations of care (anticipatory guidance, holding space), and empowering IDG members to have difficult conversations with patients, families and caregivers nearing life’s end.

National hospice faculty experts Andy Arwari MD MS FACP SFHM FAAHPM HMDC, Jennifer Burke, DO HMDC, Kristen Schaefer, MD HMDC FAAHPM will guide learners through a progressive case as they share their experiences and evidence-based practices in Caring for Patients Nearing Life’s End: Managing Symptoms in the Final Weeks, Days, and Hours of Living.

Target Audience

Hospice Medical Directors
HPM Physicians
Nurses
Nurse Practitioners
Pharmacists
PAs

Learning Outcomes

Through a progressive case study format, learners will self report the ability to apply, evaluate and analyze skills needed to support optimal symptom management and communication in caring for patients in the final weeks, days, and hours of living.

Activity summary
Available credit: 
  • 1.00 ABIM MOC
  • 1.00 CME (physician only)
  • 1.00 Participation
Activity Published: 
10/12/2023
Activity Expires: 
10/29/2026
Member cost:
$39.00
List Price:
$49.00
Part of: 
AAHPM Learn Subscription
Rating: 
0

Disclosures 
AAHPM endorses the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) Standards for disclosure and commercial support and endeavors to ensure balance, independence, objectivity, and scientific rigor for all accredited products or programs. All who are in a position to control or influence the content of an educational activity must disclose any relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies.*Disclosure documents were reviewed for potential conflicts of interest and, if identified, were resolved prior to confirmation of participation. Only those who had no conflict of interest or who agreed to an identified resolution process prior to their participation were involved in this activity.

All editors, faculty and staff have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

*An ineligible company is defined as any entity producing, marketing, reselling, or distributing healthcare goods or services consumed by, or used on, patients. 

Faculty
Jennifer Burke, DO HMDC
Kristen Schaefer, MD HMDC FAAHPM
Andy Arwari, MD MS FACP SFHM FAAHPM HMDC

Staff
Leah Farfan, BA
Julie Tanner, BSN RN-BC CHPN
Liz Watson, BA
Angie Tryfonopoulos, BS
Theresa Nissen, BA
Laura Witt, MS-HSM
Julie Bruno, MSW LCSW

Continuing Medical Education (CME)
This activity has been planned and implemented in accordance with the accreditation requirements and policies of the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) through the joint providership of The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine and Hospice Medical Director Certification Board. The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine is accredited by the ACCME to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine (AAHPM) designates this live activity for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™.
Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Successful completion includes attesting to meaningful activity participation and completion/submission of activity evaluation within the time frame designated.

Evaluation period closes October 29, 2026 at 11:59pm CT for claiming CME credit.

Maintenance of Certification (MOC) Recognition Statement
Through the American Board of Medical Specialties (“ABMS”) ongoing commitment to increase access to practice relevant Continuing Certification Activities through the ABMS Continuing Certification Directory, Caring for Patients Nearing Life’s End: Managing Symptoms in the Final Weeks, Days and Hours of Living (apply toward general CME requirement) for the following ABMS Member Board:

  • Successful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the participant to earn up to 1 MOC points in the American Board of Internal Medicine’s (ABIM) Maintenance of Certification (MOC) program.

It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit participant completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABIM MOC credit. By submitting your evaluation, you grant AAHPM permission to submit completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting respective BOARD MOC program credit or points as applicable.

Evaluation period closes October 29, 2026 at 11:59pm CT for claiming MOC credit.

Available Credit

  • 1.00 ABIM MOC
  • 1.00 CME (physician only)
  • 1.00 Participation

Price

Member cost:
$39.00
List Price:
$49.00
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