Palliative care and Pharmacist- Part 2

 
The term "palliative care" is increasingly used with regard to diseases other than cancer such as chronic, progressive pulmonary disorders, renal disease, chronic heart failure, and progressive neurological conditions. In addition, the rapidly-growing field of pediatric palliative care has clearly shown the need for services geared specifically for children with serious illness.Although the concept of palliative care is not new most physicians have traditionally concentrated on trying to cure patients. Treatments for alleviation of symptoms were viewed as hazardous and seen as inviting addiction and other unwanted side effects. The focus on a patient's quality of life has increased greatly over the past twenty years. In the United States today 55% of hospitals with over 100 beds offer a palliative care program and nearly one-fifth of community hospitals have palliative care programs. A relatively recent development is the concept of a dedicated health care team that is entirely geared toward palliative treatment, called a palliative care team.While palliative care may seem to offer an incredibly broad range of services the goals of palliative treatment are extremely concrete: relief from suffering, treatment of pain and other distressing symptoms, psychological and spiritual care, a support system to help the individual live as actively as possible, and a support system to sustain and rehabilitate the individual's family.Alternative medical treatments such as relaxation therapy, massage, music therapy, and acupuncture can relieve some cancer-related symptoms and other causes of suffering. Treatment that integrates complementary therapies with conventional cancer care is integrative oncology.