This new edition reflects the tremendous growth of this vital discipline into the mainstream of health care and focuses on palliative care that is responsive to the demand for health care reform in America and globally. It provides the knowledge, scientific evidence, and skills needed by nurses to address the complex physical, emotional, social, sexual, and spiritual needs of patients and families within the context of a changing health care delivery system. With a focus on inter-professional collaboration, the book emphasizes the value of complementary, holistic models in promoting health and wholeness across the illness trajectory, even as death approaches.