{"id":6050,"date":"2024-10-31T08:25:17","date_gmt":"2024-10-31T08:25:17","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/palliativegeneve.ch\/definition-and-history\/"},"modified":"2025-11-24T14:09:06","modified_gmt":"2025-11-24T14:09:06","slug":"definition-and-history","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/palliativegeneve.ch\/en\/definition-and-history\/","title":{"rendered":"Definition and History"},"content":{"rendered":"

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Definition and History of Palliative Care<\/h1>\n

Palliative care supports the quality of life of patients and their loved ones in situations without the possibility of complete cure, which may be life-threatening. It includes all measures of care, psychological, social, and spiritual support useful for preventing and relieving symptoms and suffering. It encourages patients to make choices in order to anticipate complex end-of-life issues. <\/em><\/p>\n

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WHO Definition:<\/h2>\n
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.<\/span><\/div>\n

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.<\/span><\/p>\n

Palliative care is explicitly recognized\u00a0under the human right to health. It should be provided through person-centered and integrated health services that pay special attention to the specific needs and preferences of individuals.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Palliative care is required for a wide range of diseases. The majority of adults in need of palliative care have chronic diseases such as cardiovascular diseases (38.5%), cancer (34%), chronic respiratory diseases (10.3%), AIDS (5.7%) and diabetes (4.6%). Many other conditions may require palliative care, including kidney failure, chronic liver disease, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson\u2019s disease, rheumatoid arthritis, neurological disease, dementia, congenital anomalies and drug-resistant tuberculosis.<\/span><\/p>\n

Pain and\u00a0<\/span>difficulty in breathing are two of\u00a0the most frequent and serious symptoms experienced by patients in need of palliative care. For example, 80% of patients with AIDS or cancer, and 67% of patients with cardiovascular disease or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease will experience moderate to severe pain at the end of their lives.\u00a0<\/span>Opioids are essential for managing pain.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Opioids can also alleviate other common distressing physical symptoms including breathlessness. Controlling such symptoms at an early stage is an ethical duty to relieve suffering and to respect\u00a0<\/span>a person\u2019s dignity.<\/p>\n