The term palliative care is used to cover the care provided from diagnosis to the end of life and bereavement.
World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as:
“Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.
Addressing suffering involves taking care of issues beyond physical symptoms. Palliative care uses a team approach to support patients and their caregivers. This includes addressing practical needs and providing bereavement counselling. It offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death.
Palliative care is explicitly recognized under the human right to health. It should be provided through person-centred and integrated health services that pay special attention to the specific needs and preferences of individuals.” WHO (2020)
End-of-life care is a recognised component of palliative care and is usually the most appropriate approach to use in acute stroke. This is because the sudden onset of stroke and its high mortality rate in the acute phase mean that the opportunity to provide palliative care may be limited. In this module when talking about end of life care we mean the last few days of life
In order to illustrate different aspects of end-of-life care this module will use 2 case scenarios:
EstherEsther, who dies within a few days of having a stroke
GeorgeGeorge, who survives the first few days but whose condition deteriorates over the next few weeks
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Page last reviewed: 08 Nov 2021
