submit urlsubmit rss feedadd directoryphysician directorytravel nurse jobs

article

Palliative care (from Latin palliare, to cloak) is any form of medical care or treatment that concentrates on reducing the severity of the symptoms of a disease or slows its progress rather than providing a cure. It aims at improving quality of life, by reducing or eliminating pain and other physical symptoms, enabling the patient to ease or resolve psychological and spiritual problems, and supporting the partner and family.

The concept of palliative care


The World Health Organisation (WHO), in a 1990 report on the topic, defined palliative care as "the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment". This definition stresses the terminal nature of the disease. However, the term can also be used more generally to refer to anything that alleviates symptoms, even if there is also hope of a cure by other means; thus, a more recent WHO statement calls palliative care "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness." In some cases, palliative treatments may be used to alleviate the side effects of curative treatments, such as relieving the nausea associated with chemotherapy.

The term is not generally used with regard to a chronic disease such as diabetes which, although currently incurable, has treatments that are (ideally) effective enough that it is not considered a progressive or life-threatening disease in the same sense as cancer or progressive neurological conditions. It is, however, occasionally used with regard to some diseases, such as chronic, progressive pulmonary disorders and end stage renal disease or chronic heart failure.

More on [ Palliative care ]


directory of related categories

 

 
 
directory of related topics

Palliative Care
Sense of Pain : nociception

 
Palliative_Care RSS feed
Palliative Care - Twitter Search

@FHSHealth Congratulations on your Hospice and Palliative Care grant!!! You deserve it!
GA_Creative (GA Creative) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:37:56 -0000
@FHSHealth Congratulations on your Hospice and Palliative Care grant!!! You deserve it!
Spoke at the Hospices & Palliative Care Group about the Dying Matters coalition & the need to have there issues on the election agenda.
GregMulholland1 (Greg Mulholland MP) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 22:21:35 -0000
Spoke at the Hospices & Palliative Care Group about the Dying Matters coalition & the need to have there issues on the election agenda.
RT @DianeEMeier: 60 mins misses the pt- palliative care is about matching trtmnt w/patient goals,NOT stopping it, http://tinyurl.com/ydsa9fg
abbrody (abbrody) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:46:30 -0000
RT @DianeEMeier: 60 mins misses the pt- palliative care is about matching trtmnt w/patient goals,NOT stopping it, http://tinyurl.com/ydsa9fg
RT @DianeEMeier: 60 minutes misses the point- palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals, NOT stopping it, see http:/ ...
CompAndChoices (Compassion & Choices) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:07:06 -0000
RT @DianeEMeier: 60 minutes misses the point- palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals, NOT stopping it, see http:/ ...
60 minutes misses the point- palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals, NOT stopping it, see http://tinyurl.com/ydsa9fg
DianeEMeier (Diane E. Meier) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 20:02:02 -0000
60 minutes misses the point- palliative care is about matching treatment to patient goals, NOT stopping it, see http://tinyurl.com/ydsa9fg
SEOnt Palliative Care & End of Life Ntwrk has 2 15-wk contract positions available. Deadline Nov. 27. Details: http://bit.ly/4Y2X4F
GET_ENGAGED (Julie White) Tue, 24 Nov 2009 19:02:38 -0000
SEOnt Palliative Care & End of Life Ntwrk has 2 15-wk contract positions available. Deadline Nov. 27. Details: http://bit.ly/4Y2X4F

 
Subscribe to Palliative_Care RSS feed

directory of related sites

Growth House - Resources for bereavement and grief, death and dying, death with dignity, euthanasia, hospice, palliative care, suicide, terminal illness, AIDS, HIV, and related topics.
Meta Description: [ The Internet's leading portal for information about end-of-life care. Resources for death and dying, hospice and palliative care, grief, and related topics. ]

Children's Hospice International - Provides a network of support and care for children with life-threatening conditions and their families. Membership information, publications, guidelines for how to tell children and discussion board.
Meta Description: [ Ensuring medical, psychological, social, spiritual support to all children with life-threatening conditions and their families from the time of diagnosis by providing a network of resources and care. ]

Crossing the Creek - A practical guide to dying process for the dying and caregivers, written by a nurse. Explains normal changes, interventions and the work of dying.
Meta Description: [ A practical guide to understanding death and the dying process. ]

Hospice Care Ring - A place for hospice workers, caregivers, and people who know first hand about grief and healing to come together to share ideas, and help each other.
Meta Description: [ HospiceRing includes websites that pertain to compassionate care for the dying and bereaved. Sites included may offer information to patients, caregivers, those who are grieving a loss, volunteers, or ]

Symptoms in Terminal Illness - Transcript from a research workshop which offers articles, definitions and issues at the end of life.

Tennessee End of Life Partnership - A nonprofit organization, aiming at continually defining and promoting optimum practices in end of life care. Offers membership information, updates and related links.

Palliative_Care related videos
Nembutal Euthanasia Drug and Angy's Choice
Next Video
Palliative_Care related videos

 

HOMEADVERTISINGABOUT US

articlesartsbusinesscomputersgameshealthhospitalshomekids & teensnewsmobilephysiciansrecreationreferenceregionalscienceshoppingsocietysportsworld


Submit a Site About Become an Editor