Temel JS, et al. (2010). Early palliative care for patients with metastatic non-small-cell lung cancer. Palliative care improves the quality of life of patients and that of their families who are facing challenges associated with life-threatening illness, whether physical, psychological, social or spiritual. The quality of life of caregivers improves as well. population access to opioid pain relief is inadequate and fails to meet international conventions on access to essential medicines. Schechter N, Berde CB, Yaster M (2003). Pain in infants, children, and adolescents (2nded.). Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins. ISBN 978-0-7817-2644-3. OCLC 808596673. The goal of palliative care is to improve the quality of life in people experiencing serious or terminal illness and to support their families. Some of the benefits can include:

How to improve end-of-life care for people with mental illness". NIHR Evidence. 28 February 2022. doi: 10.3310/alert_49015. S2CID 247180312. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022 . Retrieved 4 July 2022.

The End of Life and Palliative Care Toolkit provides a collection of tools, knowledge, and current guidance for healthcare professionals to support patients nearing the end of life to live well until they die. The resources include information for patients Gibson-Smith D, Jarvis SW, Fraser LK (December 2020). "Place of death of children and young adults with a life-limiting condition in England: a retrospective cohort study". Archives of Disease in Childhood. 106 (8): 780–785. doi: 10.1136/archdischild-2020-319700. PMC 8311108. PMID 33355156. of high quality care. The process continues after death with support for those left behind as well as reflective practice and audit for the practice team. Palliative care can be an option for many conditions. Some of the most common conditions where palliative care can be especially helpful are: a b Hoerger M, Wayser GR, Schwing G, Suzuki A, Perry LM (June 2019). "Impact of Interdisciplinary Outpatient Specialty Palliative Care on Survival and Quality of Life in Adults With Advanced Cancer: A Meta-Analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials". Annals of Behavioral Medicine. 53 (7): 674–685. doi: 10.1093/abm/kay077. PMC 6546936. PMID 30265282.

After you get a terminal diagnosis, you can have palliative care at any stage in your illness. You can also have palliative care alongside treatments, therapies and medicines aimed at controlling your illness, such as chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Edwards D, Anstey S, Coffey M, Gill P, Mann M, Meudell A, Hannigan B (December 2021). "End of life care for people with severe mental illness: Mixed methods systematic review and thematic synthesis (the MENLOC study)". Palliative Medicine. 35 (10): 1747–1760. doi: 10.1177/02692163211037480. PMC 8637363. PMID 34479457.

Patient resources: Planning ahead

You can also access treatment aimed at curing your condition while taking advantage of palliative care treatment designed to improve your quality of life and level of comfort. Hospice and Palliative Medicine Specialty Description". American Medical Association. Archived from the original on 27 October 2020 . Retrieved 22 October 2020. The following resources may be used to determine if a patient is nearing the end of life, and give recommendations of how treatment should be tailored to their specific requirements. Each year, an estimated 56.8 million people, including 25.7 million in the last year of life, are in need of palliative care. Parents are meaningfully involved in decisions on the care of their critically ill baby when they are given options not recommendations". NIHR Evidence (Plain English summary). National Institute for Health and Care Research. 9 March 2021. doi: 10.3310/alert_45227. S2CID 242477064.

You can receive palliative care at any point after a terminal diagnosis. Some people receive palliative care for years. If you are receiving palliative care from a hospice or other local service, the people close to you may also be able to get support from them. Palliative care is explicitly recognizedunder the human right to health. It should be provided through person-centered and integrated health services that pay special attention to the specific needs and preferences of individuals. Kar, SS; Subitha, L; Iswarya, S (2015). "Palliative care in India: Situation assessment and future scope". Indian Journal of Cancer. 52 (1): 99–101. doi: 10.4103/0019-509x.175578. ISSN 0019-509X. PMID 26837989.Palliative care is appropriate for individuals with serious illnesses across the age spectrum and can be provided as the main goal of care or in tandem with curative treatment. It is provided by an interdisciplinary team which can include physicians, nurses, occupational and physical therapists, psychologists, social workers, chaplains, and dietitians. Palliative care can be provided in a variety of contexts, including hospitals, outpatient, skilled-nursing, and home settings. Although an important part of end-of-life care, palliative care is not limited to individuals near the end of life. [1] O'Leary KJ, Kulkarni N, Landler MP, Jeon J, Hahn KJ, Englert KM, Williams MV (January 2010). "Hospitalized patients' understanding of their plan of care". Mayo Clinic Proceedings. 85 (1): 47–52. doi: 10.4065/mcp.2009.0232. PMC 2800283. PMID 20042561. WHO Definition of Palliative Care". WHO. Archived from the original on 4 October 2003 . Retrieved 4 December 2019. Kelley AS, Deb P, Du Q, Aldridge Carlson MD, Morrison RS (March 2013). "Hospice enrollment saves money for Medicare and improves care quality across a number of different lengths-of-stay". Health Affairs. 32 (3): 552–561. doi: 10.1377/hlthaff.2012.0851. PMC 3655535. PMID 23459735.