Keys to Success in Managing Addiction in End-of-Life Care: An Interdisciplinary Approach

While addiction is on the rise, hospice and palliative care teams are seeing an increased number of patients entering end-of-life care with a variety of addictions, including opioid addiction. In rising numbers, family members and caregivers are presenting with addiction, causing concern for safe and appropriate medication management in the home. Hospice staff are typically not experts in addiciton disorders, may not be able to assess early signs of potential diversion, and frequently lack the knowledge and skill to balance the treatment of pain and other symptoms without fueling the addiction. From an interdisciplinary lens, this session will provide keys to assessing potential and actual drug abuse and diversion, concrete steps to palliate symptoms and minimize diversion and abuse, and a framework to understand ethical practice within the disease model of addiction. Approaches for team work, collaboration, and mutual support will be explored through small group discussions. The interdisciplinary panel of presenters will facilitate learning through applied practical knowledge using the provided framework.