Implementation of a palliative care team in an Austrian university hospital

Implementation of hospital-based palliative care team is a new subject in German-speaking areas, especially in university hospitals. Our Section of Palliative Care was subsequently built up to a 12-bed palliative care unit, a home-based, and a hospital-based palliative care team. Analysis of the implementation strategies, development of the working profile, and documentation of the hospital-based palliative care team were done. During the first 2 years, quality and number of inquiries for palliative care increased significantly. In our opinion, a high degree of expertise, involvement of the nursing staff, and personal contact play a key role for a successful implementation of a palliative care team in a large university hospital.