A Palliative Approach to Care in the Last 12 Months of Life is a best practice guideline (BPG) which provides evidence-based recommendations to nurses and the interprofessional health team who support adults (18 years and older) experiencing the last 12 months of a progressive life-limiting illness, their families and their caregivers.

The goals of the recommendations are to:

• (a) improve delivery of psychosocial, spiritual and culturally safe care;
• (b) enhance coordination of care; and
• (c) facilitate supportive work environments.

This BPG is applicable to all practice settings where persons and families require palliative care and end-of-life care services (e.g., acute care, community care, and long-term care). It has 11 evidence-based recommendations and addresses the following areas: the domains of psychosocial, spiritual and culturally safe care; interprofessional care planning and delivery; and strategies to support health providers who provide palliative care and end-of-life care.