What is the first thing that comes to your mind when you hear the term "palliative care?" If the first image that pops up in your mind is someone lying in bed helplessly just waiting to die, you're not alone. Many healthcare providers along with many patients and their families share this misconception about what palliative care is and does. A study conducted by the National Cancer Institute has found 40% of caregivers reported that the term "palliative care" made them immediately think of death. What is worse is that when patients hear the term, they are likely to think that their caregivers have abandoned them or given up on them because of their illnesses. So why would anyone want to use such a term to just scare people who are already going through challenging times in life?
First things first, let us begin by clarifying that palliative care is not some secret code coined and used by medical teams to insinuate that they are giving up on their patients. In fact, it is exactly the opposite.
Now let's have a look at what the World Health Organization (WHO) has to say about palliative care. They released their first definition on palliative care in 1990, so it is a fairly new concept. They attempted to highlight that palliative care is active total care of patients whose disease was not responsive to curative treatment with the goal of achieving best possible quality of life for patients and their families. This definition was updated in 2002 to acknowledge that palliative care is more of a team approach than just a type of care for those facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness. In 2017, the International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) released their version of definition stating that palliative care is the active holistic care of individuals across all ages with serious health-related suffering due to severe illness. All in all, palliative care is available for patients with serious illness at any stages.
Okay, then who provides palliative care exactly? A palliative care team is made up of healthcare professionals from a diverse disciplines to work with patients, families, and other healthcare providers already on board to provide a more comprehensive medical, social, emotional, and practical support. The place of setting is not just limited to hospitals, but also includes nursing homes, outpatient clinics, other specialized clinics, or even at home.
Next time you see someone confused or frustrated to hear that they may have to consider getting palliative care, please reassure them by telling them that it doesn't mean that people are giving up on them. Rather, they are about to get a comprehensive care to improve their quality of life with better health outcome.
References:
Ryan S, Wong J, Chow R, Zimmermann C. Evolving Definitions of Palliative Care: Upstream Migration or Confusion? Current Treatment Options in Oncology. 2020;21(3). doi:https://doi.org/10.1007/s11864-020-0716-4
National Institute on Aging. What Are Palliative Care and Hospice Care? National Institute on Aging. Published May 14, 2021. https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/what-are-palliative-care-and-hospice-care
Beasley AM, Bakitas MA, Ivankova N, Shirey MR. Evolution and Conceptual Foundations of Nonhospice Palliative Care. Western Journal of Nursing Research. 2019;41(10):1347-1369. doi:10.1177/0193945919853162
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