Hospice and palliative medicine

Hospice and palliative medicine can define several things, such as an interdisciplinary subspecialty for physicians, advanced training for nurses and other health professionals, a philosophy or set of techniques for end-of-life care, and either a synonym for or a subset of the hospice movement.

Some of the goals and techniques focus on improving quality of life while addressing the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of both patient and family throughout the course of the disease, including through the dying process and subsequent family grieving.

Hospice and palliative medicine as a medical subspecialty

A subspecialty involving end-of-life care, working with an interdisciplinary hospice or palliative care teams. This care can occur within or outside of a formal hospice or palliative care team. Such a physician has expertise in the assessment of patients with advanced disease and catastrophic injury; the relief of distressing symptoms; the coordination of interdisciplinary patient and family-centered care in diverse settings; the use of specialized care systems including hospice; the management of the imminently dying patient; and legal and ethical decision making in end-of-life care. Training in working with related disciplines including nursing, pastoral care, pain medicine, palliative radiation therapy and surgery, social work, physical therapy, occupational therapy and complementary and alternative medicine.

The subspecialty fellowship can be reached through a number of pathways besides radiology, including internal medicine, anesthesiology , emergency medicine, family medicine, obstetrics and gynecology, pediatrics, physical medicine and rehabilitation, psychiatry and neurology, and surgery.