Mary Anne Hale Reynolds, an associate professor in the School
of Nursing, focuses on adults, ages 20-59, and the physical, psychosocial,
emotional and spiritual impacts following a life-threatening disease diagnosis.
Reynolds’ area of expertise is palliative care, which she
described as an array of services geared toward people with serious illnesses.
“The interesting thing about palliative care teams is they are
almost always based in acute-care settings in hospitals,” Reynolds said. “But
for people who are discharged home, then community resources become very
important.”
Most people Reynolds has surveyed are unable to accurately
describe palliative care, which she describes as similar to hospice services
but provided on an outpatient basis through community partners over a longer
period of time.
Palliative care includes spiritual counseling, pharmaceutical
assistance and health care services. Unlike patients in hospitals, hospice and
assisted-living facilities, many people in Reynolds’ research live at home,
continue to work and often care for family members despite a potentially
life-threatening diagnosis.
As the health care system in the United States continues to
evolve, Reynolds has witnessed a move toward more palliative care, yet research
on the topic is sparse.
With more people living longer with life-threatening illnesses,
there is an imperative to improve the quality of their lives, Reynolds said,
which could be accomplished through a robust model of palliative care.
Services could include managing symptoms and pain,
transportation to and from treatments, navigating insurance and referring
people to a lawyer if advanced directives are needed.
In a recent northern Arizona study, Reynolds learned about inadequacies of services for people with cancer. She discovered recurring themes among the afflicted, including difficulty maintaining employment, financial burdens and the challenge of commuting to Flagstaff for health care.
Most of the people in Reynolds’ study, which was funded by the
American Nurses Association and Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association, were
slow in being correctly diagnosed, postponing their cancer treatments.
After a diagnosis, palliative care services could have
improved their lives, she said.
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"Palliative care models are all about improving people's quality of life, not the quantity," said Reynolds, noting that in many cases patients receiving palliative care early do actually live a couple of months longer than expected.
"Palliative care models are all about improving people's quality of life, not the quantity," said Reynolds, noting that in many cases patients receiving palliative care early do actually live a couple of months longer than expected.
In addition to enhancing the quality of life following a
diagnosis, Reynolds said, palliative care research shows an economic benefit
from fewer hospital readmissions.
Reynolds wants to expand her recent research to include
cardiac patients and people with other types of life-limiting illnesses.
Educating primary care providers, including those in rural communities, would
be a big step toward improving the quality of life for patients.
"With palliative care, it is about identifying services
we have an what we need," Reynolds said. Nurses, including Reynolds'
students, will play significant roles on future interdisciplinary teams if the
healthcare system moves to a more encompassing palliative care model.
Reynolds received word this week that two of her grant
applications were accepted and funding will be awarded for additional
palliative care research.
