Palliative care in interstitial lung disease: living well

Publication date: Available online 13 October 2017 Source:The Lancet Respiratory Medicine Author(s): Michael Kreuter, Elisabeth Bendstrup, Anne-Marie Russell, Sabrina Bajwah, Kathleen Lindell, Yochai Adir, Crystal E Brown, Greg Calligaro, Nicola Cassidy, Tamera J Corte, Klaus Geissler, Azza Adel Hassan, Kerri A Johannson, Ronaldo Kairalla, Martin Kolb, Yasuhiro Kondoh, Sylvia Quadrelli, Jeff Swigris, Zarir Udwadia, Athol Wells, Marlies Wijsenbeek Progressive fibrotic interstitial lung diseases (ILDs) are characterised by major reductions in quality of life and survival and have similarities to certain malignancies. However, palliative care expertise is conspicuously inaccessible to many patients with ILD. Unmet patient and caregiver needs include effective pharmacological and psychosocial interventions to improve quality of life throughout the disease course, sensitive advanced care planning, and timely patient-centred end-of-life care. The incorrect perception that palliative care is synonymous with end-of-life care, with no role earlier in the course of ILD, has created a culture of neglect. Interventions that aim to improve life expectancy are often prioritised without rigorous assessment of the individual's health and psychosocial needs, thereby inadvertently reducing quality of life. As in malignant disorders, radical interventions to slow disease progression and palliative measures to improve quality of life should both be prioritised. Efficient p...
Source: The Lancet Respiratory Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Source Type: research