Notice Number: NOT-HL-23-117
Deadline: February 05, 2024
Background
Providing care that is consistent with a patient’s values, preferences, and goals is a cornerstone of palliative care (PC), an interdisciplinary patient-centered approach that aims to improve quality of life for persons with serious illness and their families. Palliative care focuses on several objectives including relief of symptoms and suffering, communication of prognosis and treatment options in the context of patient goals, and coordination of care within and across healthcare settings. Palliative care is not synonymous with hospice, which focuses on delivering care at the very end-of-life. Integration of palliative care is appropriate at any stage of a serious illness, and it is most beneficial when provided in conjunction with curative or disease-modifying treatment. A serious illness is defined as a condition that carries a high risk of mortality and symptom burden and either negatively impacts a person’s daily function or quality of life, and/or negatively impacts their caregivers. Many HLBS diseases, including heart failure, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), pulmonary fibrosis, myelodysplastic syndromes, and aplastic anemia are serious, life-limiting, non-curable illnesses. These and other HLBS diseases may benefit from care focused on improvement of symptoms and quality of life, in addition to care focused on slowing or halting progression of disease, and integration of palliative care into cardiology, pulmonary, hematology, pediatric, maternal and critical care practice early during the continuum of care is recommended by multiple professional societies. Additionally, symptoms of HLBS diseases such as cough, shortness of breath, and fatigue may be especially burdensome, even in diseases that are not life-limiting. Research to improve burdensome symptoms has the potential to greatly improve the quality of life for all patients with HLBS diseases, not just those with life-limiting disease.
Scope
The goal of this NOSI is to support research focused on palliative care for patients with serious HLBS diseases, and specifically encourage integrating palliative care early in the continuum of care; research on strategies to educate physicians on the role of palliative care; addressing care transitions to/from palliative care settings and coordination of care; research on symptom management; and addressing palliative care needs of populations experiencing health disparities.
For more information, please see the opportunity website.