Overview of Hospice and Palliative Care in Oncology.
BACKGROUND: The concept of palliative care in oncology has not yet reached the forefront of American medicine, and hospice care may be underused. METHODS: Data on increasing needs for palliative care and the development of the hospice movement are compared with practice behavior patterns of physicians in regard to palliative care. RESULTS: Hospice/palliative care has grown from an alternative health care movement to an accepted part of the American health field. Limitations of hospice/palliative care include health professionals' discomfort with care of the terminally ill as well as difficulties in predicting limited prognoses that may hinder access to such care. CONCLUSIONS: Hospice/palliative care principles should be integrated into other elements of cancer control to ensure comprehensive care for all cancer patients.
Schonwetter
RS
Division of Geriatric Medicine, University of South Florida College of Medicine, Tampa, Florida 33612, USA.