Palliative

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. It is appropriate at any age and for any illness, and patients can receive it along with curative treatment.

Definition

The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care 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 current sense by Dr. Balfour Mount, a physician in Montreal, Canada, in the 1970s. The modern concept of palliative care has its roots in the hospice movement which began in the United Kingdom in the late 19th century.

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 support 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 suitable for people of any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and it can be provided along with curative treatment.

See also

• Hospice
• End-of-life care
• Pain management
• Quality of life (healthcare)

Palliative Resources
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