What is palliative care and treatment?

The article was professionally consulted by specialist doctor I Nguyen Thi Phi Yen - Head of Palliative Care Unit - Internal Oncology Department - Vinmec Times City International Hospital

Patients with terminal illness not only suffer from physical pain, but also mental breakdown. Understanding this pain, the field of treatment and palliative care was born, although it is still quite new in Vietnam, but initially brought practical effects.

Palliative care is active, dedicated treatment with a holistic approach to people with advanced or terminal disease.
The goal of palliative treatment is
Relieve physical pain and other symptoms. Reducing pain for patients, patients' families, spiritual and social relatives. In 2014, the World Health Organization made the recommendation: “Paliative treatment is an ethical duty of health systems and an ethical obligation of health professionals to alleviate, alleviate, alleviate ease physical, psychosocial or spiritual pain and suffering, regardless of whether the medical condition is curable or not..."

Palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach to medical and nursing care for people with life-limiting illnesses. Palliative care focuses on providing relief from the symptoms, physical, and emotional pain of being diagnosed with an incurable medical condition.
The goal of palliative care is not to prolong the patient's life to improve their quality of life, for the patient to accept the truth, not to give up on life, but to always seek the meaning of the last days of life live in peace of mind and body.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO): Palliative care is an activity aimed at improving the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing problems related to illness. life-threatening problems, through the prevention and reduction of the burden they endure through early recognition, comprehensive assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual.
According to the Ministry of Health of Vietnam: Palliative care for cancer and AIDS patients is a combination of many measures to reduce suffering and improve the quality of life of patients through prevention, detection early diagnosis and treatment of pain and other physical and psychological problems, and provide counseling and support focused on social and spiritual problems facing patients and families.
Both definitions emphasize:
Coping with pain tolerance by preventing and alleviating it in all its forms. Focus not only on physical problems but also on psychological, social and spiritual issues. Maximize quality of life.

3.1 Who should be evaluated for palliative care All patients with:
Cancer Life-threatening diseases: congestive heart failure, lung disease, liver disease, chronic kidney disease, nervous system disease, AIDS, drug-resistant TB. Chronic pain, other distressing symptoms, and psycho-social or emotional distress regardless of the stage of the illness. Prognosis for shorter than 6 months 3.2 When to provide palliative care to a patient Whenever evaluating a patient for a problem requiring additional palliative care along with disease-specific measures. When treatment goals, benefits, and risks of specific treatment or survival need to be determined: cancer chemotherapy, surgery or invasive procedures, cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, dialysis , intravenous fluids, artificial nutrition... Especially when specific therapies are no longer effective, unfeasible or no longer suitable. After the patient's death: encouragement and support for the family. 3.3 Content of palliative care Pain relief and relief of bothersome symptoms: Continuous careful evaluation, including differential diagnoses Treat aggressively. Psychosocial, spiritual support for patients and families: Understanding the patient's values, hopes, and fears. Help patients and families understand the diagnosis and prognosis appropriately. Emotional support to help patients and families cope with illness. Help dying patients prepare for death if appropriate. Social support for poor patients. Anticipate and plan for potential future symptoms and psychosocial problems. Protect the patient from inappropriate or unwanted medical interventions such as excessive life-sustaining treatments become more popular in Vietnam. These treatments can save life but also cause pain and discomfort. As these treatments become more common, more considerations must be made about the correlation between the benefits and the burden of life-sustaining treatments specific to the individual patient before making a decision.
Palliative care treats life and death as a natural process. It never hastened death, but neither did it attempt to prolong the dying unduly

Palliative care unit, Internal Oncology Department, Center for Oncology - Radiation Therapy, Vinmec Times City International Hospital is one of the leading facilities in the treatment and palliative care for cancer patients. . With a team of doctors and nurses who are leading experts, with extensive experience in treatment and palliative care for cancer patients, it will help the life of terminal cancer patients become easier and more meaningful. more meaningful.

To learn more about the Palliative Care Program for Cancer Patients, you can contact: Doctor Nguyen Thi Phi Yen, Oncology Department, Vinmec Times City International Hospital, Tel: 0904164646 or register Check online HERE