Palliative care

Palliative care is specialized medical care for people living with serious illness that focuses on achieving the best quality of life for both the patient and their family or caregivers.[1]Kelley AS, Morrison RS. Palliative care for the seriously ill. N Engl J Med. 2015 Aug 20;373(8):747-55. http://www.nejm.org/doi/full/10.1056/NEJMra1404684 http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26287850?tool=bestpractice.com [2]Center to Advance Palliative Care. Policy Matters [internet publication]. https://www.capc.org/policy-matters ​ Palliative care provides patients with relief from the symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness - whatever the diagnosis. Palliative care uses an interdisciplinary approach; the interdisciplinary team consists of doctors, nurses, and other specialists to provide support as needed. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness, and can be given alongside disease-directed or curative-based treatment.

Hospice is a philosophy and delivery system of care that focuses on the palliative care needs of patients and their families or caregivers, to relieve suffering and promote comfort during the last months of life when curative-based therapy is no longer desired, no longer an option, or no longer helping the patient to feel better and/or live longer.

Palliative care principles and basic skill sets should be integrated into the daily clinical practice of patient care, regardless of the underlying illness or stage of disease. Hospice care should be considered for patients facing serious illness with anticipated life expectancy of 6 months or less.