Palliative care is an approach to caring for individuals with life-threatening illnesses that addresses potential causes of suffering including physical symptoms such as pain, psychiatric symptoms such as depression, psychosocial issues and spiritual needs. Palliative care approaches have been successfully applied to improve patient-centered outcomes in cancer as well as several chronic progressive illnesses including heart failure and pulmonary disease. To date there have been minimal attempts to apply these principles to PD although preliminary evidence suggests that PD patients have significant unmet needs under current models of care which may be amenable through a palliative care model. This study will provide critical information to forward this field including data on the comparative effectiveness of outpatient palliative care for PD versus current standards of care; effects of this intervention on cost and service utilization; and the characteristics of patients most likely to benefit from such an approach and the specific services most needed by PD patients and their caregivers.
