Palliative therapy

Palliative therapy is a form of medical treatment that focuses on reducing the severity of disease symptoms, rather than striving to halt, delay, or reverse progression of the disease itself or provide a cure. The goal is to prevent and relieve suffering and to improve quality of life for people facing serious, complex illness.

Definition[edit | edit source]

The World Health Organization defines palliative care as "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual."

Application[edit | edit source]

Palliative therapy is applied to a wide range of medical conditions, including cancer, chronic diseases such as COPD, Parkinson's disease, ALS, HIV/AIDS, and end-stage kidney disease. It is also used in the management of symptoms in patients who have a terminal illness and are nearing the end of life.

Principles[edit | edit source]

The principles of palliative therapy include:

Providing relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
Affirming life and regarding dying as a normal process
Integrating the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care
Offering a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death
Offering a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement

See also[edit | edit source]

Palliative therapy Resources
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