**3. Palliative care and its principles**

The World Health Assembly approved the resolution to integrate hospice and palliative care services into national health services [11]. The body recognises these important health services as an important component of health systems worldwide and therefore calls on national authorities to make sure they be given the awareness they deserve. This is the first time that the World Health Assembly has considered a declaration on palliative care. It endorses that all countries need to take palliative care seriously [11]. The main recommendations to all member states of WHO as seen in the resolution are to integrate palliative care into health care systems, to make sure that palliative care is incorporated into the introductory and continuing education and training for all health care personnel and to make sure that appropriate medications, as well as strong pain medications, are accessible to patients [11].

Many individuals, organisations and bodies including the WHO have suggested different definitions of palliative care. WHO revised the meaning of palliative care to be 'an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problem associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual' [12]. WHO further listed the following features of palliative care: 'provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms; affirms life and regards dying as a normal process; intends neither to hasten nor postpone death; integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care; offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death; offers a support system to help the family cope during the patients illness and in their own bereavement; uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated; will enhance quality of life, and may also absolutely influence the progression of illness; is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other treatments that are aimed to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those examinations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications' [12].

Boltz defined palliative care 'as expert curative care of patients with severe disorders, and it emphases providing patients with relief from symptoms, discomfort and worry of serious illness, irrespective of the diagnosis' [13]. She further explained that the word 'palliative' has its origin in the Latin word meaning to 'cloak or cover'. And upheld that, Viewpoint of how cancer, which is one of the terminal diseases is observed and not properly diagnosed, is suitable description because most cancers progress without warning signs for an extensive period before the individual tries to seek help. The National Consensus Project (NCP) and National

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*Holistic/Palliative Management of Patient's Health Care and Home Situation in a Depressed…*

Quality Forum (NQF) jointly formulated the concept of palliative care so as to separate it from other types of care [14]. And so they came up with eight domains of palliative care: 'structure and processes of care; physical aspects of care; psychosocial and psychiatric aspects of care; social aspect of care; spiritual, religious, and existential aspects of care; cultural aspects of care; care of the imminently dying

approaching death where no cure is expected to be achieved [15]. It is focused on the relief of distress during the advancement of patient's illness. Even though hospice and palliative care is extensively used in the western world, many patients are seen to register in hospice very close to death, which limits the advantage these

Rosser and Walsh cited WHO's principles of palliative care as follows:

• "provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms;

• integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care;

• offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death;

• offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in

• uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families,

• is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies

• are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and

These principles according to Rosser and Walsh focus on a whole, humanistic method of caring for the total being during the course of their illness, instead of concentrating on the ailment or situation [5]. Palliative care answers to the altering wishes of the patient and family, identifying that the illness development and the related involvements are distinctive to each individual. Rosser and Walsh opined that palliative care is seen as supportive care [5]. They see it as care delivered to patients, friends and family during the course of their illness; this includes the period before diagnosis has been made, as soon as patients start undergoing series of examinations, treatment and home care. The purpose of supportive care is to assist the patients and their families to be able to handle their illness and

Becker also penned principles that are relevant to providing palliative care.

• Follow-up of all patients diagnosed with terminal illness at any stage of the

• intends neither to hasten nor postpone death;

Palliative care is often misidentified as being the same as care given to the patient

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92736*

patient and ethical and legal aspect of care' [14].

services would have obtained.

• their own bereavement;

• bereavement counselling, if indicated;

includes complications" [5].

including

that

management at home.

disease

These include the following:
