Pain management in palliative care

WHO defines palliative care as " the active , holistic care of patients with advanced , progressive illness. Management of pain and other symptoms and provision of psychological , social and spiritual support is paramount. the goal of palliative care (PalCa) is the achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families "

The International Association for the Study of Pain ( IASP ) describes pain as " an unpleasant sensory and emotional experience associated with either actual or potential tissue damage , or described in terms of such damage " It can best be described as a multidimensional experience with sensory, cognitive and behavioral aspects.

Patients in need of palliative care include those who have chronic diseases as Cardiovascular disease , cancer , chronic respiratory diseases , AIDS and diabetes( several other conditions may also require palliative care for e,g end stage renal disease and other end stage diseases ) It is now known that non-cancer patients suffer similar levels of pain to those found in patients with malignant disease Cancer pain is important as it has a severe impact on QoL & is associated with numerous psychological responses Pain along with difficulty of breathing are...