Palliative Care and Palliative Care Emergencies
Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of persons and their families facing the problems associated with life-limiting 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. (World Health Organization)
People living with life-limiting illnesses often experience a progression of symptoms or decline in health that can lead to a sudden change in their symptoms or to a health crisis. Palliative care emergencies are when these sudden clinical changes have the potential to affect a patient’s health and quality of life if there is not an immediate intervention.
Palliative care emergencies can have huge impact on a patient’s remaining quality of life and be very distressing to caregivers. Research shows that nearly 35% of patients receiving home-based palliative care made one or more visits to the emergency department near their end of life.1 Most of these visits were because of pain and breathing-related symptoms. Many such visits can be prevented through preparation and planning.
Planning for Palliative Care Emergencies in the Home
Palliative care emergencies may occur unexpectedly, but some can be predicted by the nature and location of the patient’s disease. Planning ahead for predictable problems is possible when the home-based palliative care team, the patient and the caregivers know how to
- anticipate health changes
- establish a plan
- prepare for moments of crisis
It is critical for home-based palliative care teams to be aware of potential emergencies and develop a holistic management plan. A plan should fully consider the individual’s goals and wishes and quality of life, as well as the capacity of the patient to handle an emergency and the capacity of the caregivers to provide care.