The History of Hospice

Surgical Palliative Care: Recent Trends and Developments

“…He coined the term, palliative care. 2 About that time, the first hospice program was established in the United States and the hospice movement was well established here before the field organized and differentiated itself sufficiently to evolve into a medical subspecialty.…”

Patient‐centering approaches for the surgical oncologist: Palliative care, patient navigation, and distress screening

“…Balfour Mount, an oncologic surgeon at the Royal Victoria Hospital in Montreal was a pioneer of hospice and palliative care in North America after his tutelage by Dame Cicely Saunders. He is credited with introducing the term “palliative care.” He used this term (Latin: pallium , to cover) because of the association of the French word, “hospice” with poor indigent care . He established the first in‐patient palliative care unit in an acute care hospital in 1975 , an amazing accomplishment that even now would be considered far‐sighted and progressive.…”

“…He is credited with introducing the term “palliative care.” He used this term (Latin: pallium , to cover) because of the association of the French word, “hospice” with poor indigent care . He established the first in‐patient palliative care unit in an acute care hospital in 1975 , an amazing accomplishment that even now would be considered far‐sighted and progressive. About that time surgeons, Jack Zimmerman in Baltimore and Robert Milch in Buffalo, established some of the earliest of hospice programs in the United States.…”

Shifting Hospital–Hospice Boundaries

“…The hospice and palliative care movements in the United States, which slowly began in the 1970s, reflected both staggering economic concerns from overutilization of medicines and technology and a frustration toward institutions that provided poor quality care to terminally ill patients. 47 While many Americans expressed a wish to die at home, 48 only the establishment of a Medicare hospice benefit in 1982 49 appears to have begun shifting the location of death away from hospitals. 32,35 By 2009, 42% of all US deaths occurred at home or in nursing facilities while enrolled in hospice care.…”