The aging of the population and the growing number of people with chronic-degenerative diseases and cancer represent a significant challenge for health services in developed societies. Many of these patients, at the end of their lives, suffer intense suffering and require health and social care that involves all areas of care.
Palliative care (PC) has, among others, the objectives of alleviating suffering and improving, as far as possible, the quality of life and the dying process of people. In our country, CPs have experienced significant progress in recent years.
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care (PC) as “the approach that improves the quality of life of patients and families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illnesses, through prevention and the relief of suffering, through the early identification and impeccable evaluation and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems. Considers that the social-health team must approach the sick and their families with the aim of responding to their needs, and lists the following characteristics of palliative care:
-They provide relief from pain and other symptoms that cause suffering.
-They promote life and consider death as a natural process.
-They do not intend to accelerate the dying process or delay it.
-They integrate psychosocial and spiritual aspects into patient care.
-They take into account the support and resources necessary to help patients live as actively as possible until their death.
-They offer support to family members and loved ones during illness and grief.
-They improve the patient’s quality of life.
-They are applied from the early stages of the disease along with other therapies aimed at prolonging life (such as chemotherapy, radiotherapy, etc.).
-They also include the necessary research to better understand and manage complex clinical situations.