What is Palliative Care?
Palliative care: specialized care for people with serious illness, focused on relieving symptoms and stress, improving quality of life for patients and families. Appropriate at ANY stage of serious illness, alongside curative treatment. NOT just end-of-life care. Hospice: palliative care for last 6 months of life when curative treatment stopped. Distinction: palliative care can be concurrent with curative; hospice is terminal.
Core Principles
Patient-centered, family-included. Interdisciplinary team (MD, RN, SW, chaplain, PT, OT, dietitian, pharmacy). Addresses physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs. Symptom management (pain, dyspnea, nausea, anxiety, depression). Advance care planning. Coordination of care. Bereavement support. Available in hospital, outpatient, home, SNF. Medicare hospice benefit: 2 physicians certify prognosis <=6 months.
Nursing Role
Assess and manage symptoms. Facilitate communication (goals of care, prognosis). Coordinate care across settings. Support patient and family decision-making. Provide education about disease trajectory and treatment options. Advocacy: for patient wishes, adequate pain relief, dignity. Address spiritual and cultural needs. Support family caregivers. Bereavement follow-up. Self-care for nurses (moral distress, burnout in palliative care is common).
Important Notes
- Palliative care is appropriate at ANY stage of serious illness, not just end-of-life — can be provided alongside curative treatment.
- Hospice is palliative care for the last 6 months of life when curative treatment has stopped — distinct from general palliative care.
Clinical Tips
- Palliative care addresses physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs — holistic, patient-centered care.
- The palliative care team is interdisciplinary — MD, RN, social work, chaplain, PT/OT, dietitian, pharmacy.
Summary
Palliative care focuses on symptom relief and quality of life at any stage of serious illness, alongside curative treatment or as hospice in the last 6 months.
