Research Topics
| S D BlockSummaryAffiliation: Massachusetts General Hospital Country: USA Publications
Research Grants
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Detail Information
Publications
Psychological issues in end-of-life careSusan D Block
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women s Hospital and Harvard Medical School Center for Palliative Care, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 9:751-72. 2006....- Learning from a life in medicineSusan D Block
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 11:434-7. 2008 - Medical education in end-of-life care: the status of reformSusan D Block
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 5:243-8. 2002..Current efforts in these areas are reviewed, and barriers to their implementation are highlighted... - Perspectives on care at the close of life. Psychological considerations, growth, and transcendence at the end of life: the art of the possibleS D Block
Department of Adult Psychosocial Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
JAMA 285:2898-905. 2001..Enhanced understanding of the common psychological concerns of patients with serious illness can improve not only the clinical care of the patient, but also the physician's sense of satisfaction and meaning in caring for the dying... - Mixed messages about primary care in the culture of U.S. medical schoolsS D Block
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
Acad Med 73:1087-94. 1998..To examine the contributions of school-level variables associated with primary care career choice to students' enthusiasm for and perceived encouragement toward primary care... - The effect of medical education on primary care orientation: results of two national surveys of students' and residents' perspectivesW M Zinn
Department of Medicine, Cambridge Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Acad Med 76:355-65. 2001.... - Long-term outcomes of the New Pathway Program at Harvard Medical School: a randomized controlled trialA S Peters
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Acad Med 75:470-9. 2000..To evaluate the long-term effects of an innovative curriculum, the New Pathway (NP) Program, on behaviors and attitudes related to humanistic medicine, lifelong learning, and social learning... 
Incorporating palliative care into primary care education. National Consensus Conference on Medical Education for Care Near the End of LifeS D Block
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, Mass 02215, USA
J Gen Intern Med 13:768-73. 1998..In addition, caring for the dying, and teaching others to carry out this task, can be an important vehicle for personal and professional growth and development for both students and their teachers...- Racial and ethnic differences in advance care planning among patients with cancer: impact of terminal illness acknowledgment, religiousness, and treatment preferencesAlexander K Smith
Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, 1309 Beacon St, Brookline, MA 02446, USA
J Clin Oncol 26:4131-7. 2008..Despite well-documented racial and ethnic differences in advance care planning (ACP), we know little about why these differences exist. This study tested proposed mediators of racial/ethnic differences in ACP... - An empirical examination of the stage theory of griefPaul K Maciejewski
Department of Psychiatry, Women s Health Research, and Magnetic Resonance Research Center, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Conn
JAMA 297:716-23. 2007..Nevertheless, the stage theory of grief has previously not been tested empirically... - Religiousness and spiritual support among advanced cancer patients and associations with end-of-life treatment preferences and quality of lifeTracy A Balboni
Harvard Radiation Oncology Program, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA
J Clin Oncol 25:555-60. 2007..This study examined religiousness and spiritual support in advanced cancer patients of diverse racial/ethnic backgrounds and associations with quality of life (QOL), treatment preferences, and advance care planning... - Peaceful awareness in patients with advanced cancerAlaka Ray
Center for Psychooncology and Palliative Care Research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 9:1359-68. 2006..Previous studies have shown that prognostic awareness may be harmful to mental health yet beneficial for end of life care planning. The effects of prognostic awareness coupled with a sense of inner peace are unknown... - Resident approaches to advance care planning on the day of hospital admissionAlexander K Smith
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Arch Intern Med 166:1597-602. 2006..Previous research has demonstrated a need to improve patient-physician communication around advance care planning. A critical time for advance care planning conversations is the day of admission to the hospital... - Mutuality and specificity of mental disorders in advanced cancer patients and caregiversKara Zivin Bambauer
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, 133 Brookline Ave, 6th Floor, Boston, MA 02215, USA
Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol 41:819-24. 2006..We sought to determine mutuality and specificity in rates of mental disorders between advanced cancer patients and their caregivers... - Developing Initial Competency-based Outcomes for the Hospice and Palliative Medicine Subspecialist: phase I of the hospice and palliative medicine competencies projectLaura J Morrison
Section of Geriatrics, Baylor College of Medicine, Institute for Palliative Medicine, The Methodist Hospital, Houston, Texas 77030, USA
J Palliat Med 10:313-30. 2007..Lessons learned are highlighted... - Phase II study: integrated palliative care in newly diagnosed advanced non-small-cell lung cancer patientsJennifer S Temel
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
J Clin Oncol 25:2377-82. 2007..To assess the feasibility of early palliative care in the ambulatory setting in patients with newly diagnosed advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC)... - A study of oncology fellows' training in end-of-life careMary K Buss
Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
J Support Oncol 5:237-42. 2007..Knowledge about key EOL care topics was poor; only 31% correctly performed an opioid conversion. Oncology fellows described deficiencies in training on EOL issues;they may benefit from improved education on EOL topics... - Diagnosing and discussing imminent death in the hospital: a secondary analysis of physician interviewsAmy M Sullivan
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 10:882-93. 2007..Many reports suggest clinicians are often inadequately prepared to "diagnose dying'' or discuss the likelihood of imminent death with patients and families... - On being fired: experiences of patient-initiated termination of the patient-physician relationship in palliative medicineAlexander K Smith
Division of General Medicine and Primary Care, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts 02446, USA
J Palliat Med 10:938-47. 2007..Little has been written about the experience of patient-initiated termination of the patient-physician relationship, and to our knowledge, nothing has been written that is specific to palliative care... - Associations between end-of-life discussions, patient mental health, medical care near death, and caregiver bereavement adjustmentAlexi A Wright
Department of Medical Oncology and Center for Psycho Oncology and Palliative Care Research, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 550 Shields Warren, 44 Binney St, Boston, MA 02115, USA
JAMA 300:1665-73. 2008..Talking about death can be difficult. Without evidence that end-of-life discussions improve patient outcomes, physicians must balance their desire to honor patient autonomy against a concern of inflicting psychological harm... 
Peace, Equanimity, and Acceptance in the Cancer Experience (PEACE): validation of a scale to assess acceptance and struggle with terminal illnessJennifer W Mack
Department of Pediatric Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
Cancer 112:2509-17. 2008..The role of emotional acceptance of a terminal illness in end-of-life (EOL) care is not known. The authors developed a measure of peaceful acceptance at the EOL, and evaluated the role of peaceful acceptance in EOL decision-making and care...- A qualitative study of oncologists' approaches to end-of-life careVicki A Jackson
Department of Medicine, Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA 02114, USA
J Palliat Med 11:893-906. 2008..To understand how oncologists provide care at the end of life, the emotions they experience in the provision of this care, and how caring for dying patients may impact job satisfaction and burnout... - Associations between caregiver-perceived delirium in patients with cancer and generalized anxiety in their caregiversMary K Buss
Center for Psycho Oncology and Palliative Care Research, Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 10:1083-92. 2007..We looked for a relationship between caregiver-perceived delirium in a patient with advanced cancer and rates of caregiver psychiatric disorders... - Psychiatric disorders and mental health service use in patients with advanced cancer: a report from the coping with cancer studyNina S Kadan-Lottick
Department of Pediatrics, Section of Pediatric Hematology Oncology, Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, CT 06520, USA
Cancer 104:2872-81. 2005..This study aimed to: 1) determine the prevalence of diagnosable psychiatric illnesses, and 2) describe the mental health services received and predictors of service utilization in patients with advanced cancer... - Learning from the dyingSusan D Block
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, USA
N Engl J Med 353:1313-5. 2005 - The status of medical education in end-of-life care: a national reportAmy M Sullivan
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Harvard Medical School, 44 Binney Street, Room G420D, Boston, MA 02115, USA
J Gen Intern Med 18:685-95. 2003..To assess the status of medical education in end-of-life care and identify opportunities for improvement... - ACGME requirements for end-of-life training in selected residency and fellowship programs: a status reportDavid E Weissman
Palliative Care Program, Medical College of Wisconsin, c o Froedtert Hospital, 9200 West Wisconsin Avenue, Milwaukee, WI 53226, USA
Acad Med 77:299-304. 2002..National recommendations have been developed for physicians' end-of-life (EOL) education. No comprehensive assessment has been done to examine postgraduate (residency and fellowship) EOL training... - Variation in predictors of primary care career choice by year and stage of trainingMaureen T Connelly
Department of Ambulatory Care and Prevention, Harvard Medical School and Harvard Pilgrim Health Care, Boston, Mass 02215, USA
J Gen Intern Med 18:159-69. 2003..It is not known whether factors associated with primary care career choice affect trainees differently at different times or stages of medical education... - Doctors' emotional reactions to recent death of a patient: cross sectional study of hospital doctorsEllen M Redinbaugh
Department of Behavioural Medicine and Oncology, University of Pittsburgh Cancer Institute, 5150 Centre Ave 445, Pittsburgh, PA 15232, USA
BMJ 327:185. 2003..To describe doctors' emotional reactions to the recent death of an "average" patient and to explore the effects of level of training on doctors' reactions... - Trends in the aggressiveness of cancer care near the end of lifeCraig C Earle
MSc, Center for Outcomes and Policy Research, Dana Farber Cancer Center, 44 Binney St, 454 STE 21 24, Boston, MA 02115, USA
J Clin Oncol 22:315-21. 2004..To characterize the aggressiveness of end-of-life cancer treatment for older adults on Medicare, and its relationship to the availability of healthcare resources... - Narrative nuances on good and bad deaths: internists' tales from high-technology work placesMary Jo DelVecchio Good
Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, 641 Huntington Avenue, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Soc Sci Med 58:939-53. 2004..This project is part of a broader effort in American medicine to understand and improve end-of-life care... - End-of-life care in the curriculum: a national study of medical education deansAmy M Sullivan
Division of Psychosocial Oncology and Palliative Care, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Acad Med 79:760-8. 2004..To describe attitudes and practices of end-of-life care teaching in the undergraduate medical curriculum in the United States as reported by administrative leadership and identify opportunities for improvement... - [Terminal care: an occasion for personal growth?]Lise Fillion
Faculté des sciences infirmières de l Université Laval
Perspect Infirm 2:29-35. 2004 - There is hope for the future: national survey results reveal that geriatric medicine fellows are well-educated in end-of-life careCynthia X Pan
Brookdale Department of Geriatrics and Adult Development, Hertzberg Palliative Care Institute, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, One Gustave L Levy Place, New York, NY 10029, USA
J Am Geriatr Soc 53:705-10. 2005..To assess the status of geriatric medicine (GM) fellows' training experiences in end-of-life care via self-report... - Questioning care at the end of lifePatricia Ruopp
Department of Social Medicine, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 02115, USA
J Palliat Med 8:510-20. 2005.... - Evaluating claims-based indicators of the intensity of end-of-life cancer careCraig C Earle
Division of Population Sciences, Department of Medical Oncology, Dana Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Int J Qual Health Care 17:505-9. 2005..To evaluate measures that could use existing administrative data to assess the intensity of end-of-life cancer care... - Teaching and learning end-of-life care: evaluation of a faculty development program in palliative careAmy M Sullivan
Dana Farber Cancer Institute, 44 Binney Street, Boston, MA 02115, USA
Acad Med 80:657-68. 2005..To evaluate the effectiveness of the Program in Palliative Care Education and Practice (PCEP), an intensive faculty development program at Harvard Medical School... - "It was haunting...": physicians' descriptions of emotionally powerful patient deathsVicki A Jackson
Massachusetts General Hospital, 55 Fruit Street, Founders 600, Boston, MA 02114, USA
Acad Med 80:648-56. 2005..To understand the emotional experiences of physicians who care for dying patients and to identify educational opportunities for improving patient care and physician well-being... - "This is just too awful; I just can't believe I experienced that...": medical students' reactions to their "most memorable" patient deathJennifer Rhodes-Kropf
Division of Geriatrics, Montefiore Medical Center, The University Hospital for the Albert Einstein College of Medicine, 111 East 210th Street, Bronx, New York, 10467, USA
Acad Med 80:634-40. 2005..To examine medical students' emotional reactions to their "most memorable" patient death and the support they receive... - Initial voluntary program standards for fellowship training in palliative medicineJ Andrew Billings
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
J Palliat Med 5:23-33. 2002..An accreditation group modeled after an ACGME residency review committee will be formed to review and adopt the standards, then accredit programs voluntarily... - The need for end-of-life care training in nephrology: national survey results of nephrology fellowsJean L Holley
Nephrology Division, University of Virginia Health Systems, Charlottesville, VA 22908, USA
Am J Kidney Dis 42:813-20. 2003..Our study therefore suggests that training in palliative care be incorporated into fellowship program curricula... - Creating enduring change: demonstrating the long-term impact of a faculty development program in palliative careAmy M Sullivan
Dana Farber Cancer Institute and Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA 01984, USA
J Gen Intern Med 21:907-14. 2006..Improved educational and evaluation methods are needed in continuing professional development programs... - End-of-life and palliative care education for final-year medical students: a comparison of Britain and the United StatesJames F Hammel
Brigham and Women s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, Massachusetts, USA
J Palliat Med 10:1356-66. 2007..1) To assess British medical students' experiences and education in palliative care. (2) To compare experiences and education in palliative care between medical students in Britain and the United States...
Research Grants
- PALLIATIVE CARE ROLE MODEL PROGRAMSusan Block; Fiscal Year: 2002..The impact of this comprehensive educational intervention on medical students, residents, and faculty will be evaluated using multiple measures, and information about the program and its outcomes will be widely disseminated. ..