Page 28 - Delaware Medical Journal - April 2017
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Untangling the Mystery of Palliative Care
Theresa Latorre-Tegtmeier, MSN, APRN, FNP-C
The Center for Advancing Palliative Care (CAPC) people living with serious illnesses. It is focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms and stress
of a serious illness — whatever the diagnosis. The goal is to improve quality of life for both the patient and the family. Palliative care is provided by a team of doctors, nurses, and other specialists who work with a patient’s other doctors to provide an extra layer of support. Palliative care is appropriate at any age and at any stage in a serious illness and can be provided together with curative treatment.”1 Unfortunately, palliative care has been linked with hospice for many years, and is assumed to be end-of-life care. This is complicated
by the fact that a majority of U.S. medical schools have integrated palliative care education into existing courses.
This education is mostly in the form of lectures incorporated in the end of life/hospice education. Very few have clinical experience requirements, which are perceived to be the most valuable format for learning palliative care.2 To clarify how palliative care provides that extra layer of support for seriously ill patients, this article will focus on three major tenets of palliative care: setting goals, managing symptoms, and treating the whole person (body, mind, and spirit).
A recent palliative care request was for a woman who came
to the emergency department in extreme respiratory distress. She was alert and oriented and clearly stated that she did not want extreme measures taken for her condition. She refused intubation and stated that she wanted to go home on hospice; however, she required high rates of oxygen and was unable
to go home immediately. She was stabilized and admitted as General Inpatient Hospice (GIP). Palliative care was consulted to assist her in transitioning home on hospice. Upon entering the
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Del Med J | April 2017 | Vol. 89 | No. 4
