Support and Palliative Care Treatments for the Oncological Patient

Overview

A modern approach to palliative care should consider the multidimensional nature of therapeutic interventions over the course of their development, ensuring the continuum of care by means of highly trained multidisciplinary teams integrated into Primary Health Care Centres, Domiciliary Care or Home Hospitalisation Units.

"Support treatments" are those integrated within health care in order to alleviate symptoms and provide social support to patients and their carers throughout the various stages of their illness (from initial diagnosis and including those patients with potentially treatable illnesses). These treatments are applied concomitant with specific antineoplastic therapies. "Palliative Care" is understood as those interventions which improve the quality of life of patients and family members facing the problems assocciated with life threatening illnesses. These proceedings help those patients who are not prescribed specific oncological treatments by means of prevention and alleviation of suffering through early identification with evaluation and treatment of pain and other physical, psychological, social and spiritual problems.