Palliative Care is the department in which the applied treatments are aimed to improve the quality of life for patients with serious illness and severe condition.
Palliative Care
Palliative Intensive care Unit was first established by the World Health Organization (WHO) in 1989. “Palliative Care Unit has improved the quality of life of patients along with their relatives from life-threatening diseases, early detection of all physical, psychosocial and mental problems, especially pain, and its impact, which are mainly planned to be prevented or eradicated by conducting assessments under the scope of this approach. The idea stating that "Palliative care is the conscientious responsibility of all physicians" was added to this definition and attention was drawn to the importance of palliative care in 2014.
What is the purpose of Palliative Care Unit?
The aim of Palliative Care Unit, which originated from the word "Palliative", which means sedative & mitigant as to relieve the pain of patients, to alleviate the side effects caused by the drugs and to minimize the complications that may occur. Palliative Care Unit is responsible for supporting patients as well as patients' relatives in terms of psychological, social, emotional and physical aspects which may be needed in this process. WHO's palliative care expectation is to respect patients and their relatives and to demonstrate an appropriate approach to their wishes.
Who are the patients to be treated in Palliative Care Unit?
Patients to be treated in our Palliative Care Unit are; those who have reached the terminal stage of cancer and having some care difficulties at home, patients with advanced organ failure and nutritional deficiency, patients with final stage of CODP and respiratory failure, and also patients with neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, ALS, MS and so on.
What is the multidisciplinary approach in our Palliative Care Unit?
Since Palliative Care Unit is a department that includes the treatment and care of many diseases, it is a branch of medicine where a multidisciplinary working system is adopted. Oncology, Internal Medicine, Intensive Care, Psychiatry specialists and Dietitians are cooperatively working in Palliative Care Unit.
