Palliative care: A primer

Palliative care is a medical specialty that aims to improve the quality of life for patients with chronic and advanced serious illness and their families. It is appropriate throughout all stages of the trajectory of illness, which distinguishes it from hospice care. Hospice care is limited to patients with terminal prognoses. Palliative care practitioners provide expert symptom management, psychosocial support, and assistance with provider-patient communication and complex decision-making, as well as help with transitions of care. Palliative care has been associated with improved outcomes for patients and families and has experienced a rapid expansion in available services. Despite this, palliative care consultation continues to be underutilized. As the number of patients living with complex and serious illness burden continues to increase, palliative care specialists will play an important role in providing timely access to critical supportive services and the provision of high-quality care.