It is now recognised that many patients will benefit from a supportive and palliative care approach.The principles of supportive and palliative care are integral to the care delivered by any health or social care professional to those living with and dying from any advanced, progressive or incurable condition.
Palliative care is not just about care in the last months, days and hours of a person’s life, but about ensuring quality of life for both patients and families at every stage of the disease process from diagnosis onwards. A palliative care approach should be considered parallel to optimal cardiological treatment (See image below).
Palliative care focuses on the person, not the disease, and applies a holistic approach to meeting the physical, practical, functional, social, emotional and spiritual needs of patients and carers facing progressive illness and bereavement. (Scottish Government 2008).
“Patients with heart disease, particularly heart failure, who remain symptomatic despite optimal treatment, have physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs that may benefit from supportive and palliative care leading to improved quality of life (NHS QIS 2010)”.
New concept: It is now recognised that supportive and palliative care can be combined with disease modifying cardiac treatments.
References
NHS QIS, (2010) Clinical Standards for Heart Disease. NHS QIS, Edinburgh. Healthcare Improvement Scotland
Living and dying well: a national action plan for palliative and end of life care in Scotland: Available at : The Scottish Government
Pulse point
Reflect on your practise and think about the approach you currently use.
Page last reviewed: 28 Jul 2020
