Society forms policy on use of palliative care
Thoracic society says it is "obligation"
Palliative care is an obligation owed every patient with critical disease, and not just those for whom curative options have been exhausted, according to a national medical society.
The American Thoracic Society (ATS) has published an official clinical policy statement on palliative care to serve as a guideline for clinicians for incorporating palliative care given to patients with serious respiratory disorders and critical illnesses.
In the past 15 years, palliative care has emerged from the background to become a medical specialty, and the ATS policy "recognizes palliative care as an important part of what doctors, nurses, and other health care professionals should be doing," according to Paul N. Lanken, MD, professor of medicine and medical ethics at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania and co-chair of the ATS task force that wrote the statement.
Defining palliative care as an integral part of the treatment of seriously ill patients, the statement promotes:
Individualized care that is patient- and family-focused;
Integrated care that is offered when suffering begins and should continue even after the patient's death with the psychological, spiritual, and practical support of his or her surviving caretakers;
Comprehensive symptom management to control shortness of breath, pain, and other physical complications, as well as the psychological challenges related to illness or dying; and
Professional competence and development of specific skills for health care providers who are involved in palliative care, especially the ability to communicate compassionately and effectively to help patients and family members make decisions about care by determining treatment goals, developing appropriate strategies in line with those goals, and preparing advance directives.
The statement also provides practical information for clinicians, such as when to consider referral to hospice care and how to withdraw mechanical ventilation, and emphasizes the need for training, education, and research.
(The ATS policy on palliative care is available online at http://www.thoracic.org.)
Palliative care is an obligation owed every patient with critical disease, and not just those for whom curative options have been exhausted, according to a national medical society.You have reached your article limit for the month. Subscribe now to access this article plus other member-only content.
- Award-winning Medical Content
- Latest Advances & Development in Medicine
- Unbiased Content