[Palliative care in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease].
Traditionally focusing on terminally ill cancer patients, palliative care services have recently attempted to involve patients with other chronic, life - threatening diseases, e.g. chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). In this group of patients both quality of life and life expectancy is poor. Unfortunately, patients with COPD don't receive adequate special medical service, although this progressive disease causes almost as many deaths as lung cancer. The suffering of patients dying from COPD is not smaller than cancer patients. The major symptoms are usually dyspnoe, cough, fatigue, depression, emotional and psychosocial problems. In fact, their needs are really palliative, so we try to pay attention to the quality of life of people suffering from COPD. It is important to underline that medical palliation of these patients falls not only to the management of the main clinical symptoms, but also to adopt a holistic, multiprofessional approach and working with their families and caregivers.
Modlińska
Aleksandra
A
Zakład Medycyny Paliatywnej Akademii Medycznej w Gdańsku, ul. Debinki 2, 80-208 Gdańsk, Poland. aleksandra.modlinska@amg.gda.pl
Buss
Tomasz
T
Lichodziejewska-Niemierko
Monika
M
D018450:Disease Progression; D006301:Health Services Needs and Demand; D006699:Home Care Services / Q000458:organization & administration*; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration*; D011379:Prognosis; D029424:Pulmonary Disease, Chronic Obstructive / Q000523:psychology / Q000628:therapy*; D011787:Quality of Health Care / Q000458:organization & administration; D011788:Quality of Life; D019452:Terminally Ill