Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care
Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hispice Care
The Jack Byrne Center for Palliative & Hospice Care is an inpatient unit of Dartmouth Hitchcock Medical Center that provides care for patients and their families who want to focus on comfort and quality of life, but who need hospital care to achieve that. Although part of the hospital, the Jack Byrne Center is a separate building just next to the hospital. This means that patients can access many of the treatments available in the hospital like IV pain medication, in a comfortable and home-like place. Patients may come to the Jack Byrne Center from the main hospital (DHMC), Emergency Department, or from the community if they are enrolled in hospice and need to be hospitalized for treatment of complex symptoms. The Center is staffed by members of the Dartmouth Palliative Care team: physicians, nurse practitioners and PAs, nurses, social workers, volunteers, and more. The team collaborates closely with patients and families to create a care plan that aligns with the goals and values of each individual person.
What is consideRATE
consideRATE is a patient-centered measure designed to assess healthcare experiences across a range of important aspects, including communication, respect, and the overall quality of care provided by our team.
Why at Jack Byrne Center
In palliative and hospice care, where patient comfort and communication are essential, the tool helps us assess: (1) How well we explain care plans and listen to patient and family concerns, (2) Ensuring that we honor the values, wishes, and cultural preferences of each patient, (3) Understanding how we are addressing emotional needs of patients and their families
Impact on patients
We invite patients and families to complete the consideRATE questions, either in person or via online surveys (on iPads), depending on the patient’s preferences and condition. Then, we review the feedback from consideRATE to ensure that our care remains patient-centered and focused on what matters most to our patients and their families.
Leading Research at JBC
The efforts to implement and evaluate the consideRATE tool at the Jack Byrne Center are being led by our Healthcare Experience Lab Clinican Investigator, Dr. Meredith MacMartin.
Dr MacMartin is the medical director of the Jack Byrne Center, and an experienced palliative care physician and service line leader focused on improving healthcare delivery and patient experience. Through her research and quality improvement work,
Dr. MacMartin is advancing our understanding of how patient feedback can drive improvements in care practices and help ensure that services are aligned with the unique needs of patients in serious illness care. Her work is instrumental in integrating the consideRATE tool into clinical practice, ensuring that patient voices are heard and used to inform decision-making, ultimately enhancing care outcomes.
Healthcare Experience Lab
The research and clinical efforts at the Jack Byrne Center are also strongly supported by our Healthcare Experience Lab Principal Investigator, Dr. Catherine H. Saunders, who plays a key role in providing strategic guidance and oversight to the research, ensuring that the study aligns with the latest evidence in palliative care and research methodologies. With extensive experience, as a mixed methods scientist, Dr. Saunders contributes valuable insights that enhance the scientific rigor of our work.
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