Core Principles of Palliative Care Practice

Interdisciplinary care: Palliative care is provided by an interdisciplinary team that includes physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains, pharmacists, and others. The interdisciplinary team strengthens whole-person care for patients with serious illness.

Integrative model of palliative care: Palliative care is provided along the continuum of a patient’s illness and alongside curative or life-prolonging care. At the time of diagnosis, palliative care may have a more limited role. Over the course of a patient’s illness, palliative care needs often increase. Late in the disease trajectory, palliative care may be the primary focus of care. After a patient’s death, bereavement support continues for surviving family and friends.

This model of the continuum for palliative and hospice care is depicted in the following figure:

(Source: A National Framework and Preferred Practices for Palliative and Hospice Care Quality. National Quality Forum 2006.)

Palliative care domains and assessment: The core components of palliative care include the assessment and treatment of physical and psychological symptoms, identification of and support for spiritual distress, expert communication to establish goals of care, and coordination of care. The table below details the domains of palliative care practice:

(Source: Palliative Care for the Seriously Ill. N Engl J Med 2015.)