Kimberly Garner, M.D., J.D., M.P.H., F.A.A.F.P. will be the Plenary speaker at the 2012 Gathering of the CPSP community.
Dr. Kimberly Garner is a staff physician at the Department of Veterans Affairs at the Geriatric Research, Education and Clinical Center in Little Rock, Arkansas. She is also an assistant professor of Geriatrics at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. Dr. Garner is the medical director of the Geriatric Evaluation and Management Unit at the Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System which is a specialized intermediate unit which provides an interdisciplinary team approach in an inpatient setting.
The GEM specifically addresses relatively recent and potentially reversible loss of physical or cognitive function using a rehabilitation model. This involves a multidisciplinary, including occupational and kinesiotherapists, assessment. The primary goal is to promote functional well-being that allows re-entry into the community at the most independent and least restrictive level of care for chronic and seriously ill Veterans. She is currently conducting research to develop methods to engage Veterans and care providers in effective communication about advance care planning.
Dr. Garner received a juris doctorate degree from the University of Arkansas School of Law and a master’s of public health from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences. She received a B.S. in dietetics from Louisiana Tech University and her M.D. degree from the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences.
During the 2012 CPSP Plenary Dr. Garner will address the Current State of the Art of Assessing an Individual's Readiness to Discuss Advance Care Planning from a Palliative Care Perspective.
Advances in medical care and technology can prolong an individual’s life expectancy and blur the boundaries between life and death, dramatically impacting how they may experience the end of their life. There is some evidence that the treatment people would want to receive when faced with the end of life is often different from the treatment they actually receive.
In most cases, individuals may receive more aggressive care than desired, prolonging their death and potentially increasing their suffering. However, this may also result in some individuals not receiving all the care they desire.
Palliative care is founded on the principles of identifying patient preferences and attempting to achieve those wishes. Identifying readiness to discuss a patient’s wishes is a foundational skill for palliative care and other healthcare providers who provide end-of-life care. Research in this area supports that the most successful interventions by providers are those that are iterative and tailor information based on the individuals’ readiness for engagement and participation. The Transtheoretical Model Stages of Change is a model that has been used successfully to identify an individual’s readiness to discuss preferences and wishes.
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