Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- General abbreviations
- Basic science abbreviations
- PART 1 BASIC SCIENCE
- PART 2 PAIN ASSESSMENT
- Section 2a Pain measurement
- Section 2b Diagnostic strategies
- PART 3 PAIN IN THE CLINICAL SETTING
- Section 3a Clinical presentations
- Section 3b Pain syndromes
- PART 4 THE ROLE OF EVIDENCE IN PAIN MANAGEMENT
- PART 5 TREATMENT OF PAIN
- Section 5a General Principles
- Section 5b Physical treatments
- Section 5c Pharmacology
- Section 5d Psychosocial
- 44 Psychological management of chronic pain
- 45 Psychiatric disorders and pain
- 46 Chronic pain and addiction
- 47 The role of the family in children's pain
- 48 Palliative care
- PART 6 SUMMARIES
- Glossary
- Index
48 - Palliative care
from Section 5d - Psychosocial
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 10 December 2009
- Frontmatter
- Contents
- Contributors
- Preface
- Acknowledgements
- Foreword
- General abbreviations
- Basic science abbreviations
- PART 1 BASIC SCIENCE
- PART 2 PAIN ASSESSMENT
- Section 2a Pain measurement
- Section 2b Diagnostic strategies
- PART 3 PAIN IN THE CLINICAL SETTING
- Section 3a Clinical presentations
- Section 3b Pain syndromes
- PART 4 THE ROLE OF EVIDENCE IN PAIN MANAGEMENT
- PART 5 TREATMENT OF PAIN
- Section 5a General Principles
- Section 5b Physical treatments
- Section 5c Pharmacology
- Section 5d Psychosocial
- 44 Psychological management of chronic pain
- 45 Psychiatric disorders and pain
- 46 Chronic pain and addiction
- 47 The role of the family in children's pain
- 48 Palliative care
- PART 6 SUMMARIES
- Glossary
- Index
Summary
In 1990 the World Health Organization defined palliative care as ‘The active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain, of other symptoms, and of psychological, social and spiritual problems, is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families’. These words describe how modern palliative care has developed from the passive accompanying of dying patients, to a more dynamic multidisciplinary approach which attempts to address priorities from an individual's perspective. It recognizes that patients deserve to receive such care even at early stages of their illness and that palliative care is relevant to patients both with cancer and other diseases. It emphasizes the need to support the family and carers and to continue that support into bereavement. The overarching concept is that of enabling people to ‘live well’ despite having a fatal diagnosis (Table 48.1).
Specialist palliative care requires a team approach to identify and address the issues that have a negative impact on the patient's quality of life. Specialist palliative care teams are now available as a resource to most hospitals, primary care teams and specialist inpatient units or hospices. Here, in addition to doctors and nurses, a wide range of disciplines with specialist expertise are collected.
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- Chapter
- Information
- Core Topics in Pain , pp. 317 - 322Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 2005