Palliative Care Improves Quality of Life

December 28th, 2016

People living with serious illness who receive palliative care have better quality of life and fewer symptoms than those who don’t receive palliative care, according to a new study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Palliative care is health care for people living with serious illness and focuses on providing patients with relief from their symptoms, pain, and stress of a serious illness, whatever the diagnosis. Palliative care can refer either to a specific service provided by physicians and nurses with specialized training in this type of care or to an overall approach to care for patients with serious illness.