Conceptual models and the outcomes of caring

Conceptual models and the taxonomies associated with them are inherent tools of goal-directed activity. Conceptual models partition reality, discerning differences within a phenomenologic continuum; a process that is a fundamental requisite for measurement. This paper presents theoretical observations regarding the influence of conceptual models on goal-directed endeavors and explores specific implications for outcome measurement in palliative care. The dominant model of end-of-life care is the problem-based model of adult medicine. In clinical orientation hospice and palliative care bear strong similarities to a pediatric and family medical model for early childhood care. This essay examines salient features of a conceptual model for palliative care that draws on a life-cycle or developmental model of human experience in critical transitions and explores application of this model to palliative care. J Pain Symptom Manage 1999;17:83-92. (C) U.S. Cancer Pain Relief Committee, 1999.