Cost Effective Pain and Symptom Management in Hospice

Session Description

Exceptional pain and symptom management is an essential component of hospice care.  Hospice clinicians must consider cost-management in addition to therapeutic appropriateness when choosing medications for their patients at the end of life. This presentation will focus on common end of life symptoms seen in the hospice setting, and how to cost-effectively manage these symptoms. Case studies from real-life examples will also be examined.  

Presentation Objectives

1. Discuss management of common end of life symptoms seen in the hospice setting.
2. Identify medications that are typically the most therapeutically appropriate and cost-effective in end of life care.
3. Examine patient case studies to evaluate and manage symptom management at the end of life.

About the Presenter

Kiran Hamid has been working as a hospice clinical pharmacist with ProCare HospiceCare for over eight years. Her roles and responsibilities include collaborating with hospice nurses and physicians to provide cost-effective and individualized pain and symptom management. She provides medication expertise that supports prescribing recommendations, Conditions of Participation compliance and cost effective utilization of medications for hospice and palliative care patients.

Kiran graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy from the University of Toronto in Toronto, Canada. Upon joining ProCare in 2009, she first worked as a pharmacist in ProCare’s mail order pharmacy, then joined ProCare Hospice Care’s clinical team as a hospice clinical pharmacist. She has given presentations on various hospice-related clinical topics, including medical marijuana, the use of methadone, and pain and symptom management in hospice care.