2025 May Coffee Chat-May Coffee Chat Recording

Video Transcription

Video Summary

In this discussion, hospice and palliative care professionals convened to address pressing issues in their field. Dr. Sarah Ehrman and Dr. Kristen Schaefer opened the session, emphasizing the importance of collaborative problem-solving in handling complex patient care scenarios, especially when adult-based hospice teams manage pediatric patients. Key topics included how to manage patients requesting hospice to cover expensive, non-comfort medications, and how ethical and operational dilemmas arise from drug diversion or inappropriate patient-family behavior requiring "discharge for cause." The conversation underscored the significance of setting contractual boundaries and involving interdisciplinary teams or external bodies like Adult Protective Services (APS), particularly when dealing with care giving issues intertwined with substance use. Participants also discussed how to ethically manage patients using recreational marijuana while balancing the legal complexities involved. The dialogue highlighted the necessity of comprehensive communication, harm reduction strategies, and regulatory compliance in hospice care, emphasizing mindfulness in patient treatment decisions. Overall, the session served as an engaging exchange of wisdom and experiences among healthcare professionals in hospice and palliative care.

Keywords

hospice care

palliative care

collaborative problem-solving

pediatric patients

drug diversion

ethical dilemmas

interdisciplinary teams

substance use

regulatory compliance