Palliative Care

Palliative Care is a specialized area of healthcare that focuses on relieving and preventing the suffering of patients. Unlike other medical treatments that are aimed at directly curing illnesses, palliative care primarily treats the symptoms and stress of serious illnesses.

Definition

Palliative care is defined by the World Health Organization (WHO) as "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual."

History

The term "palliative care" was first used in the modern medical literature by Dr. Balfour Mount in the 1970s. He created the term to describe a type of care that focused on the relief of suffering in the terminally ill.

Principles

The principles of palliative care include providing relief from pain and other distressing symptoms, affirming life and regarding dying as a normal process, and offering a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death.

Practice

Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work together with a patient's other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. It is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided along with curative treatment.

See also

• Hospice
• Pain management
• End-of-life care

References

Palliative Care Resources
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