Palliatif

Palliatif, in the context of healthcare, refers to palliative care aimed at relieving symptoms and reducing distress for people with serious illnesses. The emphasis is on quality of life for both patients and their families, rather than on curing the underlying disease. Palliatif care can be provided early in the course of illness and alongside disease-directed or curative treatments across a wide range of conditions, including cancer, cardiovascular disease, chronic respiratory disease, and neurodegenerative disorders.

Key components include comprehensive symptom management (such as pain relief, breathlessness, fatigue, nausea, and insomnia), psychosocial and spiritual support, advance care planning, and coordination of care across different settings. A multidisciplinary team typically collaborates with the patient and family, involving physicians, nurses, social workers, chaplains or spiritual care providers, pharmacists, and rehabilitation specialists to help clarify goals, preferences, and treatment priorities.

Care settings for palliatif services span hospitals, outpatient clinics, hospices, and home-based programs. Early integration of palliatif care has been associated with better symptom control, greater alignment of care with patient wishes, reduced use of non-beneficial aggressive interventions at life's end, and improved caregiver support.

Palliatif is distinct from hospice care. Hospice focuses on comfort for individuals nearing the end of life, usually with a prognosis of limited life expectancy, whereas palliatif care can be provided at any stage of illness and in conjunction with curative or life-prolonging therapies. Cultural, legal, and ethical considerations shape its delivery in different regions.