End-of-life Care: An Interdisciplinary Perspective

The Institute of Medicine has described the "death-denying character of American society" and surely, there is an opportunity to change this character. Despite our understandable concern with costs, end-of-life care options must be variously considered from economic, ethical, and legislative perspectives. We consider these multiple perspectives of end-of-life care in an attempt to inform current thinking on the part of legislators, policy makers, providers, patients, families/caregivers, and insurers on the issue of end-of-life care. Society must be educated to understand that death can be peaceful and that end-of-life planning and care is an integral part of society's continuum of care. Enabling affordability, expanding availability, and ensuring access are the only ways of realizing that outcome.