There is a word that we in the healthcare field banter around alot but that is not a familiar word to most people until the need arises. Palliative care aims to reduce pain and increase comfort for any patient with a serious illness regardless of their prognosis. This service is underutilized as is Hospice and most referrals come until the last two months of life or less. Palliative can begin at time of treatment. It is a better approach to help reduce or prevent cancer related pain. It is another layer of support that is available to the patient and focuses on Spiritual, Physical, and Emotional levels and incorporates the interdisciplinary team including: physicians, pharmacists, social workers, and complementary health providers and religious advisers. This is often confused with HOSPICE which is typically offered in the last six months of life. The misunderstanding is often the patient and family think if they go to Palliative care that they can't get treatment and are often afraid that this means the team is giving up on the patient. Palliative care not only looks to control pain issues but also psychological concerns to practical issues. Palliative is not about giving up on the patient but helping them through treatment. This service allows the patient to focus more on her treatment and recovery and the patient knows that if there is a recurrence that they can then re-enter the palliative program. There are patients that do go into hospice after palliative care and that is another subject but suffice to say it also looks to pain control but also quality of life. Hope this little insight helped and also that they day will come when we don't have to even talk about cancer but for now, palliative care- helps to make it a better day! S
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AuthorMy name is Sue Kilburn and I am a clinical nurse breast cancer educator at the Yolanda G. Barco Oncology Institute in Meadville, Pennsylvania. Archives
March 2015
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