Suffering, loss and grief in palliative care.
BACKGROUND
The stress associated with advancing and incurable illness inevitably causes distress for patients, families and caregivers. A palliative approach to care aims to improve the quality of life for patients with a life limiting illness by reducing suffering through early identification, assessment and optimal management of pain, physical, cultural, psychological, social, and spiritual needs.


OBJECTIVE
This article outlines some of the psychosocial issues in palliative care and offers communication strategies for general practitioners to use to elicit concerns. It also discusses anticipatory and complicated grief, and provides some useful resources.


CONCLUSIONS
There is much that can be done by GPs, in collaboration with other services, to alleviate distress and suffering in people with a life limiting illness. In order to provide support for dying patients and their families, GPs also need to care for themselves.
Lobb
Elizabeth A
EA
Western Australian Centre for Cancer & Palliative Care, Edith Cowan University, Perth, Western Australia, and Department of Palliative Care, Royal North Shore Hospital, New South Wales, Australia. e.lobb@ecu.edu.au
Clayton
Josephine M
JM
Price
Melanie A
MA
D005190:Family; D006117:Grief; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000523:psychology*; D010821:Physicians, Family; D011788:Quality of Life; D029181:Spirituality; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D013727:Terminal Care