Palliative care has become an integral part of today's health care system. Inclusion of palliative care has been shown to positively affect patient satisfaction and can also impact medical costs. One of the ways palliative care can have such influence is through the development of prognostic awareness or a patient's understanding of their likely illness trajectory. Although palliative care programs have multiplied in general, there are still notable discrepancies in program availability, particularly in smaller rural hospitals. Despite numerous health care thought leaders' recommendations regarding the "ideal" palliative care team, this is not always feasible due to resource allocation. This article aims to describe 1 rural hospital's development of and initial outcomes from a hospital-based palliative care program.
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