Everyone deserves to die with choice and dignity. Unfortunately, in America that is often not the case. Dying can be a costly, high-stress event filled with bureaucratic red tape, emotionally wrought families, insurance tangles, and legal disputes.

A special May/June 2012 issue of Nursing Economic$: The Journal for Health Care Leaders examined the controversial issues surrounding the process of dying. Guest editors Christine Kovner, a professor in the NYU College of Nursing, and SUNY-Plattsburg professor Edward Lusk provide a road map to an evidence-based inquiry on why improving end-of-life care needs to be a national priority.

Their introduction, action plan, and epilogue, along with the series of research reports by contributing authors—including an article co-authored by James Pace, NYU clinical associate professor and associate dean for the undergraduate program—demonstrate the significant ways nurses and others are redesigning and responding to the needs of dying patients and their families.

Press Contact