Inpatient Palliative Care (Advanced Illness Management)
The Advanced Illness Management team, also known as the AIM team, is the hospital-based Palliative Care team. We work closely with the home-based Palliative Care and Hospice Program, but the AIM team is solely dedicated to those patients who require hospitalization. The AIM team is comprised of doctors, nurse practitioners, a social worker and a chaplain. We are an add-on service, meant to partner with the patient’s existing primary team and specialists to optimize care for both the patient and family.
How Advanced Illness Management (AIM) Works
The AIM team works throughout all areas of the hospital and with every specialty. Any team and parent can ask for our involvement. After we meet you, we seek to address concerns and aspects of the patient’s care that are negatively impacting his or her quality of life. For some patients, this may mean the addition of a pain management plan. For another patient, it may mean spiritual or psychosocial support as patients and families cope with a serious and/or potentially life-limiting illness. We also work with the patient’s family with the goal of optimizing their quality of life through the stressful hospitalization as well. In sum, we design a care plan based on the needs of a patient and the family, and then work alongside your treatment team to carry out this plan.
AIM Team
The Advanced Illness Management Team consists of physicians, nurse practitioners, social work, and chaplaincy. We also collaborate with Child Life, Psychology and other psychosocial staff members to provide truly multidisciplinary care for you and your loved one.
Click here to learn more about our AIM team members.
Who Qualifies for AIM?
Our service works with patients and families who suffer from a chronic, complex, and/or potentially life-limiting condition that may be accompanied by one or more of the following issues:
- Advanced care planning
- Burdensome symptoms (i.e. pain, nausea, vomiting, seizures, etc.)
- Burdensome treatments
- Frequent hospitalizations
- Requiring assistance with care coordination because a complex condition is causing fragmented care and/or challenges with communication between multiple healthcare providers
If you’re unsure whether your child could benefit from palliative care services, please reach out to us. We would be happy to talk with you and together decide what’s best for your child and family.
How is AIM Different Than Home-Based Care or Hospice?
Although Palliative Care is offered both in and outpatient, the AIM team is particularly dedicated to patients who are hospitalized at the time of referral. Upon discharge, our team would work with the patient, family and primary service to better determine the need for palliative care following discharge. In many cases, we can work together to seek resources for patients in the home.
Learn more about Nationwide Children’s Home-Based Palliative Care Program here.