Discussing the benefits of palliative care
The addition of palliative care for patients can improve patient outcomes such as longevity, symptom burden, and death rates. It can also reduce the use of aggressive treatments near the end of life.
Several studies on cancer patients have proven that palliative care can be more effective than chemotherapy or ICU admission alone. A study by Sullivan et al. (2019) suggests that palliative care received between 31 and 359 days after a cancer diagnosis is associated with longer survival and a lower death rate.
When talking about palliation, communication plays a particularly important role. In fact, patients who have discussed their prognosis with their physicians are proven to have fewer post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms and lower depression and anxiety scores. In this lesson, you will learn about the benefits of early palliative care in increasing the quality of life and survival rate for patients.
Start the first chapter of our Palliative Care Essentials course for free
Do you struggle to manage the pain in patients with chronic, life-threatening conditions? Do you avoid those tough conversations about end-of-life care or advance planning? After attending this course, you will be able to identify and treat patients in need of palliative care.
Gain confidence in managing symptoms, discussing prognosis, and exploring values and goals of care.