Project Definition

The purpose of the task force is to facilitate introduction of the precepts and techniques of palliative care to surgical practice and education in the United States and Canada. The task force will do this by bringing together surgeons with demonstrated interest in palliative care to share resources, strategies and expertise, and in so doing act as a catalyst for change.

Success Criteria

• An accurate description of the current state of palliative care in surgery, barriers to its growth and opportunities for change.
• Dissemination of task force results; demonstrated interest and engagement of surgical specialists and educators.
• Increases in presentations and publication of information related to palliative care principles and techniques in surgical practice; arrangements for their promulgation on an ongoing basis.
• Development of content domains and quality benchmarks applicable to surgical palliative care.
• Development of a research agenda regarding systems, models, and elements of surgical palliative care.
• Development of educational materials appropriate for students, residents, and practitioners.
• Establishment of a Standing Committee for Surgical Palliative Care in the American College of Surgeons

Constituents and Benefits

• Surgical patients and families—Improving the continuum of care and quality of life during and after surgical care.
• Surgeons and associated surgical disciplines—Availability of tools to improve end-of-life care for surgical patients and their families adapted as necessary for the specialty. Better understanding of the role of surgery in the continuum of care, and an understanding of patient and family need for life closure and bereavement when applicable.
• Surgeons in training—incorporation of the principles of surgical palliative care in the formative years of training increases the likelihood of its appropriate application in subsequent practice.
• American College of Surgeons—Fulfillment of the commitment made by the College in its "Statement of Principles of Care at End of Life" (Board of Regents, Feb. 1998)
• Task force members—Seen as leaders in the field, sharing their expertise in publications, presentations, and practices.
• RWJF—Seen as improving care in this highly publicized arena. Benefit by reaching overarching goal of improving end-of-life care for patients and families. Publication citations of task force results. Ease in funding second phase of task force process and funding of dissemination phase of Workgroup process.

Organizational Priorities

• Select task force chairs
• Select task force members
• Conduct initial organizational meeting
• Provide project management and oversight to the task force
• Advance the task force process by convening a series of 12 conference calls among task force members over a 12-month period
• Conduct a final consensus conference
• Plan for dissemination of task force results and presentation of a "Recommendations to the Field Paper" on surgical palliative care.
• Incorporate the task force into the structure of the American College of Surgeons.

Scope

The Surgical Palliative Care Task Force meets a number of the Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care Program priorities by gathering data and developing tools that:

Demonstrate surgeons gain competence in functioning as part of an interdisciplinary team with goals and objectives consistent with the American College of Surgeons "Statement on Principles Guiding Care at the End of Life".

System Implications

The Surgical Palliative Care Task Force will need to interact with a number of different audiences to ensure adequate communication and dissemination of the project results. These, among others yet to be identified, are as follows:

• The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation
• The American College of Surgeons
• The American Board of Surgery
• Association of Surgical Educators
• The Royal College of Surgeons, Canada

Authority and Responsibility

The Promoting Excellence in End-of-Life Care National Program Office has contracted with the American College of Surgeons to endorse the Surgical Palliative Care Task Force. As such, the NPO maintains overall responsibility for the conduct and success of this project, but delegates the day-to-day responsibility for task force activities to the task force and the representatives of the American College of Surgeons

The Surgical Palliative Care Task Force must provide written report of task force progress on a quarterly basis, and must respond to NPO questions or concerns regarding the task force and its activities as needed.

Team Leaders and Members

Dr. Geoffrey P. Dunn
Dr. Robert A. Milch

Others to be selected as the project moves forward, identified as chairpersons of specific subcommittees.