From the Guidelines
Definition of Palliative Care
Palliative care is a comprehensive and multidisciplinary approach to managing the physical, emotional, and spiritual distress of patients with serious illnesses, focusing on improving quality of life 1.
Key Components
It often involves the use of medications such as morphine and gabapentin to manage pain, as well as other interventions like oxygen therapy and non-pharmacological strategies to alleviate symptoms 1.
Goals of Palliative Care
The goal of palliative care is to provide relief from symptoms, pain, and stress, regardless of the patient's prognosis or disease stage, and can be delivered concurrently with curative treatments 1.
Delivery of Palliative Care
Palliative care should be initiated by the primary care team and then augmented by collaboration with an interdisciplinary team of palliative care experts 1, and can be applicable to all people with an incurable disease, not only cancer 1.
Importance of Palliative Care
The inclusion of palliative care within the regular clinical framework for people with serious illnesses results in a substantial improvement in quality of life as well as comfort and dignity whilst dying 1.
- Palliative care is patient- and family-centered health care that focuses on effective management of pain and other distressing symptoms 1.
- It incorporates psychosocial and spiritual care according to patient/family needs, values, beliefs, and cultures 1.
- Palliative care can be delivered at any stage of disease progression, when palliative care needs emerge 1.
- It is an integral component of care that can be deployed throughout the clinical course of serious illnesses to treat symptoms, which include dyspnea, pain, and fatigue, in conjunction with disease-modifying therapies 1.
From the Research
Definition of Palliative Care
- Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness 2.
- It aims to provide the maximum possible comfort to people with advanced and incurable diseases 3.
- Palliative care is a comprehensive approach aimed at enhancing the quality of life of patients and their families living with serious illnesses 4.
Goals and Objectives
- The goal of palliative care is the maintenance or improvement of the patient's quality of life 2.
- It focuses on assessing and managing pain and other physical symptoms, attending to psychosocial and spiritual aspects of care, fostering effective communication and decision making, and providing support in coordinating care 4.
- Palliative care aims to alleviate physical, psychological, and emotional suffering in patients at any stage of the disease 5.
Multidisciplinary Approach
- Palliative care requires a multidisciplinary, well-functioning team, effective communication, and a clear task division between primary and hospital care 2.
- A multidisciplinary approach is a prerequisite to balance curative and palliative intervention options 2.
- Optimal functioning of a team requires excellent training, communication, and a description of the tasks and responsibilities of each team member 2.
Integration and Referral
- Early integration of palliative care into the care of patients with serious illnesses can improve patient outcomes 6.
- Late referral to palliative care is often associated with poor quality of life and inability to plan or make end-of-life care decisions 5.
- Palliative care can be provided by palliative care specialists (subspecialty palliative care) or by all clinicians caring for patients with serious illnesses (primary palliative care) 4.