Intro to Palliative Part I Flashcards
What is “hospice” and “palliative care”?
In Canada, the terms “hospice” and “palliative care” are often used interchangeably to denote a philosophy of care. In fact the term “hospice palliative care” has been adopted by the Canadian HCP Association and utilized to indicate the integration of care throughout a variety of settings. In addition, the word “hospice” may refer to a place of care.
What is “hospice” specifically?
Primarily a “concept” of care - not always a specific place of care, but often combined.
I.e. a specific philosophy and/or approach to care rather than merely a type of building or service, or both.
What kind of patients are fit for hospice care?
The word “hospice” is used to identify a place outside the acute care environment where quality HPC is provided for a specific group of patients who do not require hospitalization in an acute care setting, but cannot be managed safely or comfortably at home.
What is palliative care according to the Word Health Organization (WHO)?
Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention of relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
What are the principles of Primary Health Care that guide palliative care?
Palliative care is guided by the principles of Primary Health Care: accessible, participatory, interprofessional, health promoting, uses appropriate technology/skills.
What is palliative care, according to Canadian Hospice and Palliative Care Association?
- Affirms life/regards dying as normal process
- Neither hastens nor postpones death
- Provides relief from pain/other symptoms
- Integrates psychological/spiritual aspects of care
- Offers ongoing support systems to dying patients and family members.
What are some arguments for the case that palliative care is a human right?
An aging population, a growing incidence and prevalence of cancer, and a growing HIV/AIDS epidemic has brought increased attention to palliative care as a public health issue and a human right.
What is the main difference between curative focus vs. palliative focus of care?
Curative focus: disease-specific treatments
Palliative focus: comfort/supportive treatments, bereavement support (for family)
What are the focuses of curative/disease treatment (indepth list)
Diagnosis of disease and related symptoms
Curing disease
Treatment of disease
Alleviation of symptoms
What are the focuses of palliative treatment?
Patient/family identify unique end-of-life goals
Assess how symptoms, issues are helping/hindering reaching goals
Interventions to assist reaching end-of-life goals
Quality of life closure
What are the 10 Guiding Principles of Hospice Palliative Care?
- Person/family centered = basic “unit of care”.
- Ethical
- High Quality
- Team-based/Circle of care
- Safe and Effective
- Accessible
- Adequately Resourced/sufficient to support HPC activities
- Collaborative
- Advocacy-based
- Evidence-informed/knowledge based
What are the goals of palliative care?
Assure patient receives excellent pain control/other symptom/comfort measures.
Give patient (and/or family) information needed to participate in care decisions.
Offer ongoing emotional/spiritual support.
Obtain expert help in planning care outside hospital i.e. discharge planning.
What is evidence-based palliative care?
Evidence-based practice is the conscious, explicit and judicious use of current evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients.
Why is it difficult to gather quantitative data on palliative care?
It is more difficult to measure quality of life and altered outcomes in patients and families whose illness or frailty make it difficult to collect data.
Why is it important to know the difference between palliative care and curative care?
Outcome and quality of life measures need to be sensitive to the wider aspects of palliative care, not merely mortality, function, or absence of symptoms.
How should people who work in palliative care use research?
Those working in palliative care must use existing research through appropriate systematic reviews to maximize the value of data yielded in caring for patients and families.
Why do we need to use evidence-based clinical practice guidelines in hospice palliative care? (12 points)
• Reduce variation in professional practice.
• Ensure equitable allocation of resources.
• Measure the quality of our care.
• Identify opportunities for improvement.
• Improve management of the health care system.
• Provide a foundation for the future.
To provide the best care possible and…
To help:
• Inform health care providers, patients and families.
• Educate health care providers and the public.
• Include all members of the health care team.
• Improve clinical decision-making.
What is quality of life (according to all models)?
There are many models of quality of life, the important aspect is that they encompass all dimensions and focus on what is important for the patient and the “family”.