Palliative care
Palliative care is a specialized medical approach designed to enhance the quality of life for individuals facing serious or life-threatening illnesses. This type of care focuses on alleviating pain and managing symptoms while also providing psychosocial support to both patients and their families. It employs a multidisciplinary team, including doctors, nurses, social workers, and other professionals, to create an individualized care plan that addresses the unique needs, beliefs, and goals of each patient and their loved ones.
Unlike hospice care, which is intended for those in terminal stages of illness, palliative care can be initiated at any point during a patient's illness, allowing for ongoing curative treatments alongside symptom management. It is appropriate for various serious conditions, including cancer, heart disease, and Alzheimer's disease, among others. Palliative care can be accessed in multiple settings, such as hospitals, outpatient clinics, and even at home, ensuring that support is available wherever necessary.
Financial considerations are often a concern, but many insurance plans, including Medicare and Medicaid, typically cover palliative care services. This support structure aims to foster a more comfortable and meaningful life for patients and their families, enhancing their overall well-being during challenging times.
Palliative care
Specialty
- Anatomy or system affected: All
Definition: Palliative care is a medical specialty that aims to maximize quality of life in people with life-threatening illnesses. Palliative care focuses on symptom control, pain management, and psychosocial support for patients and their families.
Key terms
Multidisciplinary care: A comprehensive care provided by professionals from different disciplines, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and many others.
Pain management: A treatment to control pain and reduce suffering using pharmacological and/or non-pharmacological methods. The goal is to improve quality of life.
Hospice: End-of-life medical care for people who are terminally ill. Similar to palliative care, the focuses are also symptom control, pain management and psychosocial support.
Overview
Palliative care is a multidisciplinary medical care approach for people with serious or life-threatening illnesses. These patients often suffer from severe pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, difficulty sleeping, or other distressing physical symptoms. They and their families may also experience stress or even depression while trying to cope with the patients' illnesses. The goal of palliative care is to maximize quality of life through pain management, symptom control as well as psychosocial support. Receiving palliative care does not mean that the patient has to stop the primary curative treatment. Instead, palliative care is like another layer of support on top of the original medical treatment plan. Palliative program not only cares for the patient, but also their family. It designs an individualized plan of care that considers the patient and the family's needs, values, beliefs, and goals.
Palliative Care vs. Hospice
Palliative care should not be confused with hospice, which focuses on end-of-life care and comfort. Patients in hospice programs usually have stopped the curative treatments; instead, emphasis is on pain and symptom relief and how to make the most out of the last days or months of life.
Individuals who may consider palliative care include anyone who has severe illnesses and suffers from uncontrolled pain or other distressing physical or psychological symptoms. Examples of some devastating diseases include cancer, heart disease, lung disease, kidney failure, Human immunodeficiency virus infection / acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (HIV/AIDS). Lupus, Alzheimer's, and many others. People do not need to wait until the terminal stage of their illness to receive palliative care. It can be started during any stage of the illness to enhance quality of life. Applying for palliative care is not difficult. Patients and families with potential needs should talk to their doctors and ask for a referral for palliative care. Palliative care often starts in the hospital, but can be provided in various nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, hospices, or even at patients' home.
Similarities:
- Quality of life: Both palliative care and hospice provide pain management, symptom control, and psychosocial support.
- Care: Both provide care that is patient and family centered, and both offer a team approach.
- Insurance coverage: Both may be covered by Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance.
Differences:
- Timing: Palliative care can be provided during any stage of illness, while hospice care is provided during terminal stages of illness or when the patient's life expectancy is limited (generally less than six months).
- Location: Palliative care is offered in hospitals, as well as in extended care facilities, nursing homes, and at home. Hospice care is offered in extended care facilities, nursing homes, and at home.
- Treatment: Palliative care continues curative or life-prolonging treatment, while such treatments are usually stopped during hospice care.
Treatment and Therapy
Palliative care is all about making the life more comfortable and meaningful for the patient and their loved ones. It is accomplished using a team approach. A palliative care team consists of professionals from different disciplines, including doctors, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, chaplains, nutritionists, counselors, and others. The team closely works with the patient and the family to assess their needs, values, beliefs, and goals. Patient education and counseling are also provided to help the patient better understand his or her health condition and how to more effectively cope with it. The palliative care team also works collaboratively with patient's primary health care providers to design a comprehensive and individualized treatment plan to maximize physical and emotional comfort.
The length of palliative care depends on the individual's health condition and family goals and needs. The financial aspect of the care is almost always a concern for patients and their families. The good news is that Medicare, Medicaid, and most private insurance covers all or part of palliative treatment. In instances when palliative care is not fully covered by Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance, there may be funds available within the community or through the state to subsidize the cost.
Bibliography
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"What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care?" NIH National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health, May 14, 2021, www.nia.nih.gov/health/hospice-and-palliative-care/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care. Accessed 20 Dec. 2024.
Wittenberg, Elaine, et al. Textbook of Palliative Care Communication. Oxford UP, 2015.