Spotlight on End-of-Life Research

• Identify factors that influence, and develop strategies to improve, decision-making and treatment strategies at the end of life.

• Validate instruments and refine methodologies to address the complex issues and unique features of end-of-life research for application in diverse groups and settings.

• Develop interventions to improve palliative care and enhance quality of life for the dying patient and to support family and informal caregivers.

• Explain factors related to the end of life among underserved groups, including those who are vulnerable and unable to express their preferences near the end of life.

• Support the development of informatics tools that will facilitate the integration and analysis of data from end-of-life studies.

• Increase efforts to expand end-of-life research, through research training, interdisciplinary programs, supplemental awards, small grants, and centers or center components.

• Taking Care of Unfinished Business at the End of Life is the Focus of Research Nursing and Psychology Collaborations, Case Western Reserve University
• BEST Center of Excellence for End-of-Life Science, Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing, Case Western Reserve University
• Center for End-of-Life Transition Research (CEoLTR), University of Illinois at Chicago.
• Prolonging the Withdrawal of Life Support in the ICU Affects Family Satisfaction with Care. October 2008.
• Family Members of Patients Who Die in the ICU Report Greater Satisfaction with Communication and Involvement than Family Members of ICU Survivors. November 2007.
• Improving Communication in the ICU about End-of-Life Care in the ICU Reduces Symptoms of Stress, Anxiety, and Depression in Family Members. February 2007.

• Research Shows that Distinct Patterns of Functional Decline in the Last Year of Life Indicate the Need for Different Approaches to Palliative Care. May 2003.

NINR Research Program Announcements (PAs)

• RFA-NR-10-006 (Released 02/25/2010. Application due date 05/17/2010).  Advancing Palliative Care Research for Children Facing Life-Limiting Conditions (R01)
• RFA-NR-10-007 (Released 02/25/2010. Application due date 05/17/2010).  Advancing Palliative Care Research for Children Facing Life-Limiting Conditions (R21)
• PA-08-063 (Application due date 02/05/2010. Expiration date 01/08/2011). Decision Making in Cancer: Single-Event Decisions (R01)
• PA-09-122 (Released 03/09/2009. Expiration date 05/08/2012). Research on Clinical Decision Making in People with or at Risk for Life-Threatening Illness (R01)
• PA-09-121 (Released 03/17/2009. Expiration date 05/08/2012). Research on Clinical Decision Making in People with or at Risk for Life-Threatening Illness (R21)
• PA-07-097 (Released 11/30/2006. Expiration date 01/08/2010). Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (R01)
  
• PA-07-099 (Released 11/30/2006. Expiration date 01/08/2010). Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (R21)
  
• PA-07-098 (Released 11/29/2006. Expiration date 01/08/2010). Chronic Illness Self-Management in Children and Adolescents (R03)
  
  NINR Archived Inactive Funding Opportunities
  
• RFA-NR-09-004. Interventions to Improve Palliative Care at the End of Life (R01)
  
• RFA-NR-08-001. Research on Intervention in Chronic Illness (P01)
  
• RFA-NR-07-005. Nursing Science Centers of Excellence in Self-Management or End of Life Research (P30)
  
• PA-07-074.  Symptom Clusters in Cancer and Immune Disorders (R01)
  
• PA-07-009.  Symptom Clusters in Cancer and Immune Disorders (R21)
  
• PA-04-057.  Improving Care for Dying Children and Their Families (R01, R21)
  
• PA-00-127.  Quality of Life for Individuals at the End-of-Life
  
• PA-98-019.  Management of Symptoms at the End of Life
  
• RC1-04-NR-1022. Methods to Enhance Palliative Care and End-of-Life Research (ARRA)

• December 2004. NIH State-of-the-Science Conference on Improving End-of-Life Care (Consensus Statement)

• March 2003.  Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality Advance Care Planning: Preferences for Care at the End of Life at NIH

• October 2001. Integrative Workshop on End-of-Life Research
  

• November 2000. Summary of the proceedings of The End of Our Lives: Guiding the Research Agenda (convened by the NIH End-of-Life Interest Group)

• The Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)
  

• The National Cancer Institute (NCI)
  

• The National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM)
  

• The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
  

• The National Institute on Aging (NIA)
  

• The NIH End-of-Life and Palliative Care Special Interest Group

• The National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH)

• Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
  

• Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS)
  

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
  

• Administration on Aging 

• U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Assistant Secretary for Planning and Evaluation Office of Disability, Aging and Long-Term Care Policy (ASPE)

• U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA)

• The National Library of Medicine (EOL Medline Plus links)
  

• Advance Care Planning Preferences for Care at the End of Life  (information for planning)
  

• Own Your Future Long-Term Planning Kit (with information on Advance Planning)
  

• Finding Care at the End of Life (NIA publication)
  

• Patient Information on Coping with Cancer