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Supportive and Palliative Care
Supportive and palliative care address symptoms and quality of life and can accompany treatment directed at the underlying illness.
#Supportive care addresses symptoms and the effects of treatment
The US National Cancer Institute defines supportive care as care aimed at improving quality of life by preventing or treating symptoms of illness and side effects of treatment as early as possible. Its definition includes physical, psychological, social and spiritual support. This is a cancer-terminology source, not a universal rule for how every service uses the term.
Ask what a team means by supportive care and what help is available in that setting. This explainer describes aims; it does not offer a symptom-management plan or claim that Mynd operates a support service.
Evidence: NCI: supportive care
#Palliative care is not limited to the last weeks of life
WHO describes palliative care as an approach to improve quality of life for adults, children and families facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It addresses suffering through assessment and treatment of physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems, and recognises caregivers' practical needs. WHO identifies restricting it to cancer or the final weeks of life as misconceptions.
Considering palliative care early is therefore different from assuming that all other care has ended. The treating team can explain how it fits with the person's goals and other treatment. This page does not assess prognosis or decide when an individual should receive it.
Evidence: WHO: palliative care
#Clarify the support and the people involved
WHO describes palliative care as team-based and says specialist services are one part of delivery, alongside primary, community and home-based care. NCI's supportive-care definition also includes support beyond physical symptoms. A label alone does not tell a person which professionals, services or practical help they will receive.
Useful questions include what concerns the team can address, how family or caregivers can be involved with the person's agreement and who coordinates the care. Local availability, eligibility and funding differ. This page provides no opioid, symptom-triage or end-of-life decision instructions.
Evidence: WHO: palliative care / NCI: supportive care
Source note
The sections above were checked against the linked sources. No clinical review has been performed. This is general research education, not a clinical guideline.