Comfort Measures In Palliative Care

Comfort care is a form of medical care not an abandoning of it i think that using the term comfort care is a bit of a misnomer says dr.

Comfort measures in palliative care. Comfort care is an essential part of medical care at the end of life it is care that helps or soothes a person who is dying. All three terms refer to care received by patients and their families to improve quality of life by meeting physical emotional and spiritual needs. The term comfort care is used here to describe a set of the most basic palliative care interventions that provide immediate relief of symptoms in a patient who is very close to death.

It can also be provided in a hospice or long term care facility. Comfort measures are sometimes called palliative measures but they are different. The goals are to prevent or relieve suffering as much as possible and to improve quality of life while respecting the dying person s wishes.

In depth exploration can be utilized to compare of current and existing practices and contribute knowledge about whether palliative care is provided in nursing homes and if so how. Long acting preventive drugs e g statins are usually not indicated in end of life care. Palliative radiation therapy is one form of comfort care.

The practical management of comfort oriented care includes limiting diagnostic and therapeutic measures focused on prolonging life and stopping all medications that are not necessary to promote comfort. This radiation can shrink tumors and alleviate symptoms such as bleeding spinal cord compressions or obstructions in the throat. Comfort care as palliative care addresses physical intellectual emotional social and spiritual needs.

The goal is to give the patient autonomy access to information and choice. Comfort measures are only given when treatment will no longer be effective. Rodney tucker director of uab s center for palliative.

Comfort care is often used interchangeably with palliative care or hospice. Barriers to obtaining comfort care. Examples of comfort care measures.