Is palliative care and hospice the same?
Palliative care is provided at any stage of a serious or chronic illness and can be provided alongside curative treatment.
There is some confusion about whether or not “hospice care” and “palliative care” are interchangeable phrases. All hospice care is palliative, but not all palliative care is hospice care.
Palliative and hospice care share the same goals of comfort through management of pain and symptoms. In addition, both care systems embrace the concept of an interdisciplinary care team.
Differences between the two:
- Palliative care is available to patient and their families and is provided at any stage of a serious or chronic illness. Palliative care can also be provided alongside curative treatment.
- Hospice care is for patients who have a limited life expectancy. It is provided after all curative treatment has been attempted or the patient decides they may not want to attempt curative treatment.
Many patients and family members wait too long to seek hospice care or they think they have to stay at home in bed and “be sick.” It is important that you make the most of your good days and live life to the fullest.
Part of palliative care is making sure the medications you are taking is providing therapy. Pharmacogenetics is a great tool to help guide physicians and other clinical caregivers in managing medications and proper prescribing. This simple swab of the cheek can provide healthcare professionals with valuable information to help make the patient as comfortable as possible and provide a better quality of life.
Talk to your physician about palliative care and how a pharmacogenetic test can help manage medications. For more information on pharmacogenetics, contact PGx Medical at info@pgxmed.com or 405-509-5112.
source: IntegrisOK.com