Patients who have advanced or multiple chronic illnesses present management difficulties for primary care providers. Acute medical issues and limited time for patient evaluation can complicate complete assessment of physical symptoms that directly impact a patient's quality of life. The Cook County Health and Hospitals System (CCHHS) established an Advanced Illness Management Clinic to provide care for complex patients. Patient entry into the Advanced Illness Management Clinic is by referral only, a passive process. After discharge, general medicine clinic patients who do not have a medical provider are given an appointment in the clinic. Since the hospital is the source of many patients, this guarantees that these patients will have at least one illness advanced enough to require hospitalization, and most will have additional chronic illnesses. An outpatient palliative care clinic located in a specialty clinic setting was initiated in 2004. The goal of the clinic was to extend the benefits realized by hospital patients, for whom palliative care consultation has been available for many years, to patients cared for in the outpatient setting. The benefits provided include physical symptom management, spiritual counseling, and support for social issues. Until recently, this outpatient palliative care model has mainly served patients with malignancy. With the addition of the Advanced Illness Management Clinic, palliative care clinicians now can provide care to patients with other chronic and serious illness in the primary care setting. Hypothesis: Complex patients will have improved quality of life and a reduced symptom burden if seen by a multidisciplinary clinic post-hospitalization, compared to usual care in a general medicine clinic.
Age range
18 Years – 110 Years
Sex
ALL
See this in plain English?
AI-rewrites the medical criteria so a patient or caregiver can understand them. Always confirm with the trial site.
Bring these to your next appointment. They're a starting point for a shared conversation — not a sign you qualify or a recommendation to enrol.
Generated to help you prepare — always confirm anything about your own eligibility and care with the study team and your doctor.
The trial coordinator is the person who runs the study day to day. These cover the practical side — logistics, costs, and what taking part would actually mean for your life. The study team confirms whether you meet the criteria; these are questions to ask, not a sign you qualify.
A starting point for the conversation — always confirm anything about your own eligibility, costs, and care with the study team and your doctor.
NIH PROMIS 10-item short form quality of life
Timeframe: 6 months