Premium
BS02
MODERN APPROACH TO PALLIATIVE CARE
Author(s) -
Grundy K.
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
anz journal of surgery
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.426
H-Index - 70
eISSN - 1445-2197
pISSN - 1445-1433
DOI - 10.1111/j.1445-2197.2007.04114_2.x
Subject(s) - palliative care , medicine , nursing , referral , service (business) , health care , work (physics) , mechanical engineering , economy , engineering , economics , economic growth
This paper explores the modern concept of Specialist Palliative Care. This includes the gradual and ongoing development of specialist palliative care services in New Zealand, embedded within cancer services and the wider health sector: within the community and the acute care environment. No longer is it accurate to assume that a referral to palliative care indicates that the person is imminently dying or that their care will be transferred to that service as an alternative to any form of continued active treatment. Cancer can be aggressive and unremitting but is increasingly experienced as a chronic illness and patients have concerns and needs that fluctuate over time. Multi‐disciplinary palliative care must be responsive, flexible and able to assist at “points of need”, working together with the referring team. Collaboration across all the medical disciplines and the full health care team is essential and communication between services must be robust so that our care is consistent, unambiguous and patient‐centred. Palliative care is as aspect of clinical care that we all practice, every day, sometimes without realising it. We need to continually develop our own skills in symptom control, effective communication and decision‐making, as well as exploring the philosophy and ethics of end‐of‐life care. Accessible, meaningful education in all of these areas is vital. While it is challenging, we must also find time to reflect on our own practice, learning to acknowledge and work within our own prejudices, fears and short‐comings. This paper will draw on recent work in the area of palliative care and cancer care: The New Zealand Palliative Care Strategy (2001), the Cancer Control Strategy (2006), the proposed adoption of a model of palliative care within NZ that incorporates clear definitions of both Specialist and Generalist services and the new Ministry of Health “Palliative Care Service Specifications” that highlight the need for specialist services to be available in all locations, providing not just clinical care but also education and support.