Palliative medicine is a type of medical care that focuses on improving the quality of life of patients suffering from serious or chronic diseases. Palliative medicine does not aim to treat the disease itself, but rather aims to relieve pain, reduce side effects, and support the patient and his family physically, psychologically, and socially.
This type of care can begin at any stage of the disease, whether the patient is initially diagnosed or in the advanced stages. The palliative medicine team works alongside doctors who specialize in treating the underlying disease to provide additional support, which includes controlling pain, managing nausea and vomiting, improving sleep, treating anxiety and depression, and counseling the patient and his family about difficult medical decisions.
Palliative medicine is not limited to cancer patients only, but also includes those with heart disease, kidney failure, chronic lung disease, and neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and others.
What are the goals of palliative medicine?
The goals of palliative medicine revolve around alleviating the patient’s suffering and improving his health in all aspects, not just focusing on the disease itself. Among the most important goals of palliative medicine are the following:
- Control pain effectively, regardless of its source, whether physical, psychological, or neurological.
- Treating symptoms associated with chronic diseases such as nausea, shortness of breath, loss of appetite, sleep disturbances and extreme fatigue.
- Providing strong psychological support to the patient by helping him deal with his feelings of fear, anxiety, depression, and anger, especially in light of the presence of a serious illness that may greatly affect his life.
- Providing social support for the patient and his family because the disease affects all family members, so they are helped to adapt to the new situation, provided with advice to deal with daily changes, and facilitate complex medical decision-making.
- Maintaining the patient’s dignity and respecting his wishes at every stage of treatment, whether he wishes to continue treatment, stop it, or even move to home care or end-of-life care.
- Coordinating efforts among all members of the medical team to ensure the provision of comprehensive and integrated care consistent with the patient’s individual needs and health, social and psychological conditions.
- Facilitating the gradual transition to palliative care at the end of life in a way that respects the patient's privacy and provides greater comfort in their final days.
What are the basics of palliative medicine?
The basics of palliative medicine depend on a set of principles that aim to provide comprehensive and integrated care for the patient. These basics include the following:
- The basis is to focus on the patient as a whole and not just on the disease, meaning that the medical team cares about the patient’s physical, psychological, social and spiritual condition in a balanced manner.
- The second basis is complete control of symptoms, as the team seeks to relieve pain, nausea, shortness of breath, andAnorexia Sleep disorders and any other symptoms that affect the patient’s comfort and quality of life.
- The third foundation is open communication with the patient and his family, where all aspects of the health condition are discussed clearly and frankly, while respecting the patient's wishes and priorities, and involving them in making decisions regarding his care.
- The fourth basis is to provide psychological and social support, whether to the patient or his family, by providing advice and support to help them adapt to the challenges posed by the disease.
- The fifth basis is to work within a multidisciplinary team, where the team includes doctors, nurses, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, and clergy according to the patient’s needs to provide comprehensive and coordinated care.
- The sixth basis is to provide care at all stages of the disease from the time of diagnosis until the end of life if necessary and not only in the final stages, which helps improve life for a longer period.
- The seventh principle is to respect the patient's dignity, preserve his privacy, and work in a manner consistent with his religious and cultural beliefs.
Who undergoes palliative medicine?
Palliative medicine is intended for anyone suffering from a serious or chronic illness that greatly affects their daily life, whether the illness is in its early or advanced stages. It includes the following:
- Cancer patients: The first to undergo palliative medicine are cancer patients of all types at any stage, whether at the beginning of diagnosis, during treatment, or when transitioning to end-of-life care.
- Heart patients: Also, patients with chronic heart diseases such as congestive heart failure or heart valve disease benefit from palliative medicine, especially when these diseases cause difficulty breathing, general weakness, or persistent pain.
- Chronic kidney failure patients: Especially those who cannot continue dialysis or face serious complications, palliative medicine is an important part of their care to help control pain and other symptoms.
- Sick Chronic pneumoniaSuch as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or pulmonary fibrosis. People who suffer from difficulty breathing and constant fatigue need palliative support to relieve symptoms and improve their quality of life.
- People with neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, Parkinson's, or severe strokes also undergo palliative medicine, especially as the disease progresses and the need for assistance with daily activities increases.
- Patients with chronic liver diseases: such as cirrhosis. When the condition progresses to advanced stages, they may need palliative care to control symptoms such as acute pain and severe ascites.
- Children with serious genetic diseases, neurological diseases or childhood cancers can also benefit from palliative care to support them and their families during the long and difficult treatment period.
- In general, any patient who feels that the disease significantly affects his comfort or ability to carry out his daily life, or who faces persistent disturbing symptoms, can benefit from palliative medicine services, regardless of the type or duration of the disease.
What are the symptoms that palliative medicine can treat?
Palliative medicine focuses on treating a wide range of symptoms that accompany serious or chronic diseases, including the following:
- Chronic pain is the first symptom that palliative medicine pays attention to, whether it is due to the disease itself or due to medical treatments such as surgery or chemotherapy. Pain is dealt with by various means such as medications, physical therapy, or relaxation techniques.
- Nausea and vomiting are also common symptoms treated by palliative medicine, whether resulting from treatment or the disease itself. Anti-nausea medications are prescribed and nutritional advice is provided to reduce feelings of fatigue.
- Shortness of breath is a disturbing symptom for many patients, and palliative medicine works to improve breathing using medications, oxygen sessions, breathing exercises, or some simple medical procedures.
- Extreme fatigue or loss of energy is one of the most common symptoms among patients, and palliative medicine helps in making plans to gradually increase the level of physical activity, improve sleep quality, and reduce the effects of fatigue on daily life.
- Loss of appetite or difficulty eating are also symptoms dealt with by the palliative team, where specialist nutritional advice is provided and nutritional supplements may be prescribed to support the body.
- Sleep problems, such as insomnia or frequent awakening, are treated by palliative medicine by modifying lifestyle and providing simple treatments that help the patient sleep more comfortably.
- Depression and anxiety are among the psychological symptoms that palliative medicine teams care about, as psychological support and...Behavioral therapy Cognitive therapy and sometimes some medications to help the patient overcome negative feelings.
- Itchy skin caused by chronic liver or kidney disease is also treated with appropriate prescriptions and constant moisturizing of the skin.
- Constipation or diarrhea problems resulting from illness or medications are treated by developing appropriate nutritional plans and using appropriate medications.
- Oral ulcers or dry mouth resulting from chemotherapy or other illnesses are treated by palliative medicine by providing topical treatments or oral care advice.
- Concentration problems or mental confusion are also symptoms that palliative medicine treats, especially in the advanced stages of some neurological diseases, and the patient is supported with methods that help him maintain as much mental ability as possible.
احجز استشارتك في مركز الاورام At Al-Mousa Specialized Hospital in Al-Ahsa
Frequently asked questions
Does palliative therapy cure cancer?
Palliative treatment does not treat cancer and does not aim to eliminate the disease. Rather, it focuses on relieving pain, reducing side effects, and improving the patient’s life, whether during treatment or in the advanced stages of the disease. It can be provided alongside chemotherapy or radiation therapy to support the patient psychologically and physically and help him endure the difficult stages of treatment.
When does palliative treatment start?
Palliative treatment can begin at any time after the patient is diagnosed with a serious or chronic disease, and is not limited only to the final stages of the disease. Rather, it is preferable to start it early in addition to basic treatment to relieve side effects and support the patient psychologically and physically, which helps improve life throughout the period of illness and treatment.
Does chemotherapy make hair fall out?
Palliative chemotherapy may cause hair loss, just like therapeutic chemotherapy, because the effect of chemical drugs depends on their type and strength. Some types of palliative chemotherapy are in lighter doses, which reduces the possibility of hair loss, but in some cases, partial or complete hair loss may occur, and this varies from one patient to another depending on the body’s response to the treatment.
In the end, palliative medicine is considered an essential part of the treatment journey for any patient suffering from a serious or chronic illness because it provides him with the full support he needs psychologically, physically, and socially. Palliative medicine is also practiced within Al Mousa Health Hospital, where it helps the patient endure painful symptoms and gives him the opportunity to live a more comfortable and happy life alongside his family, whatever stage of illness he is going through.
The article was reviewed by Dr. Ahmed Abdullah Al-Muzaffar
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