American Academy of Family Physicians Hospice and Palliative Care Edition 2 2024

Overview

American Academy of Family Physicians (AAFP) Hospice and Palliative Care Edition 2 2024 is a comprehensive on-demand medical education course designed to strengthen clinical knowledge, communication skills, and patient-centered approaches to hospice care, palliative medicine, and end-of-life management.

Developed for family physicians, primary care providers, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams, this educational program provides practical strategies for caring for patients with serious, life-limiting, and terminal illnesses while supporting their families throughout the continuum of care.

The curriculum emphasizes the differences between hospice and palliative care, appropriate timing of hospice referrals, advance care planning, goals-of-care discussions, symptom management, and compassionate communication during serious illness.

Participants explore evidence-based approaches to managing pain, constipation, nutrition and hydration concerns, and other distressing symptoms. The course also addresses the psychological, social, emotional, and spiritual needs of patients and their families, including grief and bereavement support.

Special attention is given to improving conversations about prognosis, treatment preferences, hospice transitions, and end-of-life decisions, alongside practical guidance on billing and coding for advance care planning services.

Through clinically relevant educational content, the program helps healthcare professionals deliver coordinated, compassionate, and individualized care that prioritizes patient comfort, dignity, quality of life, and informed decision-making.

Course Information

Curriculum Overview

Hospice and Palliative Care Fundamentals

• Principles and goals of hospice and palliative medicine
• Differences between hospice care and palliative care
• Identifying appropriate timing for hospice referrals
• Integrating palliative services into serious illness management
• Improving comfort, dignity, and quality of life

Advance Care Planning and Communication

• Advance care planning and goals-of-care discussions
• Effective communication with patients and families
• Navigating difficult end-of-life conversations
• Shared decision-making and patient preferences
• Billing and coding for advance care planning services

Pain and Symptom Management

• Evidence-based pain assessment and management
• Management of constipation and non-pain symptoms
• Nutrition and hydration considerations in advanced illness
• Individualized symptom control strategies
• Addressing physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs

End-of-Life Care and Family Support

• Recognizing the needs of patients approaching death
• Providing appropriate comfort measures
• Preparing families for the dying process
• Anticipatory guidance during imminent death
• Supporting grief and bereavement
• Compassionate interdisciplinary care coordination

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this educational program, participants should be able to:

1. Differentiate the benefits and appropriate timing of palliative care and hospice care, and recognize when a patient may benefit from earlier hospice referral.
2. Conduct clear, empathetic, and patient-centered conversations regarding serious illness, advance care planning, goals of care, and hospice transitions, while navigating appropriate billing and coding requirements.
3. Provide evidence-based palliative care and symptom management—including pain, constipation, nutrition, hydration, and non-pain symptoms—throughout the continuum of illness with consideration of physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs.
4. Provide adequate comfort measures and anticipatory guidance to patients and their families at the time of imminent death, as well as grief and bereavement support.

Target Audience

This course is designed for family physicians, primary care providers, and interdisciplinary care teams caring for patients with serious or terminal illnesses and their families.

Best for: Family Physicians, Primary Care Physicians, Internists, Hospice and Palliative Medicine Specialists, Palliative Care Physicians, Geriatricians, Hospitalists, Pain Management Specialists, Medical Oncologists, Medical Nutrition Specialists, Gastroenterologists, and Psychiatrists.

Educational Benefits

The AAFP Hospice and Palliative Care Edition 2 2024 course provides healthcare professionals with practical knowledge and clinical strategies for improving the management of serious illness and end-of-life care.

By emphasizing compassionate communication, evidence-based symptom control, timely hospice referrals, and interdisciplinary collaboration, the curriculum supports a comprehensive approach to managing patients with complex palliative care needs.

Its focus on patient dignity, family involvement, and individualized treatment planning makes it a valuable educational resource for clinicians seeking to improve comfort-focused care and quality of life throughout advanced illness.

Short Description

AAFP Hospice and Palliative Care Edition 2 2024 is an on-demand medical education course covering hospice referral, advance care planning, end-of-life communication, pain and symptom management, nutrition and hydration, grief and bereavement, and compassionate patient-centered care. Designed for family physicians, primary care providers, hospice specialists, and interdisciplinary healthcare teams.

Topics

1. Hospice Versus Palliative Care—An Overview — Morgan Unruh, DO

2. Advance Care Planning and the Role of the Family Medicine Provider — David B. Brecher, MD

3. Communication — Morgan Unruh, DO; Erin Nielsen, LCSW; Lucy Stasi, RN

4. The Referral — Johnson Wu, DO, MBe

5. Nutrition and Hydration in the Terminally Ill — Laurence Robbins, MD

6. Symptom Management Part 1: Pain and Constipation — Christi A. Stewart, MD, FAAFP, FAAHPM, HMDC

7. Symptom Management Part 2: Non-Pain Symptoms — Morgan Unruh, DO

8. The Last Hours: Impending Death — Christi A. Stewart, MD, FAAFP, FAAHPM, HMDC

9. Conversations on Grief: An Introduction to Grief and Bereavement — Michelle Owens, DO, FAAFP; Chaplain Nancy McCranie, MDiv; Kat Postel, LCSW

10. Reflection Session — Michelle Owens, DO, FAAFP