In a recent issue of the Archives, Casarett et al1 have conducted a survey of bereaved family members of patients who died in 77 Department of Veterans Affairs Hospitals.1 The authors observed increased satisfaction with care among relatives of patients who died in the palliative care unit compared with those seen by palliative care consultation teams, who were in turn perceived to have better end-of-life care compared with patients who died without palliative care involvement. This gradient effect of palliative care involvement is an important contribution to our body of knowledge.
