What is your perception of palliative care in an acute care setting? Does it belong? Is it possible to provide palliative care in a setting that emphasizes curative treatments?
If you believe that palliative care doesn’t fit in acute care settings, then you are not alone. The following quote summarizes the responses of health care professionals.
Many individuals…characterized palliative care as end-of-life or hospice care that is initiated after the decision to limit curative treatment is made.
Few recognized the role of palliative care in managing symptoms and addressing psychosocial needs of patients with chronic illnesses other than cancer. https://www.liebertonline.com/doi/abs/10.1089/jpm.2006.0155 Rodriguez, Barnato and Arnold
How can we help health care professionals to understand that palliative care is compatible with other treatments?
How can we teach the benefits of integrating a “palliative approach” early on?
This is a topic I continue to work on. What are you working on right now?
Kath
