Palliative Care Overview And Concepts - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Mike Harlos MD, CCFP, FCFP

Professor and Section Head, Palliative Medicine, University of Manitoba

Medical Director, WRHA Palliative Care

Medical Director, Pediatric Symptom Management Service

• Surprisingly difficult to define
• Not defined by:
• Body system (compare with dermatology, cardiology)
• What is done (compare with anesthesiology, surgery)
• Age (compare with pediatrics, geriatrics)
• Location of Care (compare with ER, critical care)

Any illness, any age, any location…

(a personal definition)

Palliative Care is an approach to care which focuses on comfort and quality of life for those affected by life-limiting/life-threatening illness. Its goal is much more than comfort in dying; palliative care is about living, through meticulous attention to control of pain and other symptoms, supporting emotional, spiritual, and cultural needs, and maximizing functional status.

The spectrum of investigations and interventions consistent with a palliative approach is guided by the goals of patient and family, and by accepted standards of health care.

Jonathan – 6 yr old boy terminally ill boy

Ref: “Armfuls of Time”; Barbara Sourkes

“What if…?

Palliative Care… The “What If…?” Tour Guides

Can Help Inform The Choice Of Not Intervening

• What would things look like?
• Time frame?
• Where care might take place
• What should the patient/family expect (perhaps demand?) regarding care?
• How might the palliative care team help patient, family, health care team?

Disease-focused Care

(“Aggressive Care”)

100

50

0

Timeline

A SOBERING TRENDLINE

Lifetime Risk of Dying (%)

Dawn ofTime

Today

Palliative Care – Relevance In Context

Lifetime Risk of:

Heart disease: 1:2 men; 1:3 women (age 40+)

Cancer: > 1:3

Alzheimer's: 1:2.5 – 1:5 by age 85

Diabetes: 1:5

Parkinson’s 1:40

1:1

Death:

Don’t confuse “Palliative Care” – the philosophy of approach to care in the context of life-limiting illness with “Palliative Care service delivery”….

• the latter is the application of the broad philosophy within the constraints of existing (limited) resources
• Services are focused on the most needy, which tends to be in the final months of life

Program

Available

Services

Criteria

Palliative Care As A Philosophy Of Care

D

E

A

T

H

D

E

A

T

H

EVOLVING MODEL OF PALLIATIVE CARE

“Active

Treatment”

Palliative

Care

Cure/Life-prolonging

Intent

Palliative/

Comfort Intent

Bereavement

Over-representation of cancer diagnosis, due to:

• Societal acknowledgement of CA as a terminal illness
• More definable palliative phase in CA than non-malignant illness
• Maximizing quality of life in non-cancer illnesses often requires expertise in that specific disease, with aggressive disease-focused interventions (CHF, COPD)
• Budget constraints on may preclude aggressive disease-focused management of illness.

Palliative Care services should be challenged to broaden their involvement to address the needs of those affected by sudden, unanticipated end-of-life circumstances:

• Withdrawal of life-sustaining therapy
• Inoperable surgical conditions
• Ischemic gut
• Gangrenous limbs
• Dissecting aortic aneurysm
• Massive stroke
• Trauma

How To “Raise The Bar” Of Expectations

On Such a Fundamentally Sad Issue?

Low Expectations… how can you

have high expectations for death?

Expect – if not demand…

• High level of skill and knowledge in pain and symptom control
• Consultations if necessary
• Communication with patient and/or family
• Clear, honest, respectful
• Proactive/preemptive when issues predictable
• Availability and Accessibility
• Dignity – connection to the “who” involved; the person

• Surgery
• Informed consent
• Teaching videos
• Booklets
• Obstetrics
• Prenatal classes
• Birth Plan

What About A “Death Plan”… with broader expectations than the usual clinical issues in a Health Care Directive?

Ref: Bruera 1992 “Why Do We Care?” Conference; Memorial Sloan-Kettering

Wolfe J. et al, NEJM 2000; 342(5) p 326-333

80

70

%

60

50

40

30

20

Successfully

Treated

(% Of Affected

Children)

10

27 %

16 %

10 %

Nausea And Vomiting

Dyspnea

Pain

PHYSICAL

SUFFERING

PSYCHOSOCIAL

EMOTIONAL

SPIRITUAL

CHALLENGE-

Alleviate Suffering for a Condition Which:

• Ultimately will affect every one of us: - Large numbers - We have our own “death issues” as care providers
• Only approximately 10% of Canadians have access to specialty care
• Few physicians or nurses have even basic training
• Clinicians don’t intuitively know when they need advice…They don’t know what they don’t know
• The process & outcome are expected to be terrible… after all, it is death
• How can you tell when something inherently horrible goes badly?
• Has a tremendous impact on those close to the individual… “collateral suffering”
• No chance of feedback from patient “after the fact”

Effective care of the dying involves:

• Adequate knowledge base
• Attitude / Behaviour / Philosophy
• Active, aggressive management of suffering
• Team approach
• Recognizing death as a natural closure of life
• Broadening your concept of “successful” care

• “The Usual Suspects” – progressive life-limiting illness
• Incurable cancer
• Progressive, advanced organ failure (heart, lung, kidney, liver)
• Advanced neurodegenerative illness (ALS, Alzheimer’s Disease)
• Sudden fatal medical condition
• Acute stroke
• Withholding or withdrawing life-sustaining interventions (ventilation, dialysis, pressors, food/fluids…)
• Trauma – eg. head injury
• Ischemic limbs, gut
• Post-cardiac arrest ischemic encephalopathy
• etc…

Generally

Not Palliative

Palliative

Variable

Support

CPR

• Emotional
• Spiritual
• Psychosocial

Ventilation

Transfusions

Infections

Highly

burdensome

Interventions

Control of

Hypercalcemia

• Pain
• Dyspnea
• Nausea
• Vomiting

Tube Feeding

Dialysis

Anywhere

Stds of practice for symptom management, availability, responsiveness, communication

• Certain palliative interventions held to higher scrutiny and rigour – eg. palliative sedation
• Specialty area for nursing

• Core competencies
• Curriculum in undergrad and post-grad in all involved disciplines
• Continuing education

Education

Professional Practice

Public Awareness

Service Availability

• Core requirements for facility and program accreditation (CCHSA)
• Risk management people need to see poor palliative care as a risk
• Re-frame good palliative care as prevention/promotion

• Raise awareness and expectations
• Improve “death culture”
• Empower in decision-making

Improving Palliative Care