title: Getting comfortable with death. Palliative care begins at home.
abstract: Palliative care is multidimensional care of patients with life-limiting diseases concurrent with active disease management, together with support for their caregivers. Components of primary palliative care include management of physical and psychological symptoms and discussions about goals of care and end of life wishes. Primary care physicians and all specialty physicians should provide primary palliative care for their chronically ill patients. This paper reviews the benefits of palliative care and provides resources for its implementation.
authors.forename: Pamela J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Honeycutt
authors.forename: Denise
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bickel
mesh_terms: D032722:Advance Care Planning / Q000458:organization & administration; D001293:Attitude to Death; D017028:Caregivers / Q000523:psychology; D006801:Humans; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011788:Quality of Life; D012648:Self Care; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000458:organization & administration* / Q000523:psychology*; D014944:World Health Organization