Overview

Palliative care specialists focus on relieving the pain and other debilitating symptoms of serious and chronic illness. The goal of palliative care is to improve functioning, enhance decision making and promote optimal quality of life.

Many people associate palliative care with hospice care. However, hospice care is not the same as palliative care. Hospice is a Medicare benefit that provides pain management and support services for patients at the end of life, who are no longer seeking curative treatment. While hospice care includes palliative care, a patient does not have to be at the end of life to receive non-hospice palliative care.

Palliative care doctors work with patients and their families to identify and alleviate physical and emotional pain and other symptoms associated with a serious health condition. In addition to providing expert symptom management, palliative care specialists devote their time to intensive family meetings and patient/family counseling, ensure well-coordinated care across health care settings, link patients and family members to support groups and other services and improve access to information so patients can make confident, well-informed decisions about their care.

Palliative care doctors work within an interdisciplinary team that typically includes nurses and social workers. Chaplains, massage therapists, pharmacists, nutritionists and others may also be part of the team. The team’s goals, according to the National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative Care, are to:

1. Control pain, alleviate psychosocial distress, address spiritual issues and meet practical needs throughout the continuum of care.

2. Improve access to information for patients and families so that they understand the patient’s condition and treatment options.

3. Coordinate care across settings by improving communication among providers, particularly as the patient’s needs change.

In recent years, interest in palliative care has grown significantly. Doctors can now choose to specialize in palliative care by meeting certain standards and passing an examination. Employment opportunities are rising, as well, as more hospitals start or expand palliative care programs.

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Palliative Care 14 Sep 2009 [pdf, 258 KB]

Working Conditions

Palliative care doctors treat people of all ages who are facing serious and life-threatening illness. They work with patients and their families to identify sources of pain or other suffering, including information gaps, help establish goals of care and develop comprehensive care plans.

Palliative care doctors work in consult with the patient’s primary physician, as well as with hospitals, nursing homes, assisted living facilities and hospice centers. Patients typically receive palliative care in the hospital, but palliative care specialists may also provide care in a private practice office setting, outpatient clinic or even in a patient’s home.

The palliative care doctor may meet directly with patients and families or just consult with a patient’s primary care physician. Additional roles of the palliative care physician may include overseeing the palliative care team, training other health care professionals and engaging in other activities designed to increase awareness of and access to palliative care services.