Palliative care in the emergency department (ED)-a review of published papers.

What is it about?

From a review of published papers on the experience of palliative care in the ED from the points of view of patients, carers and clinicians we found that many people need to go to the ED with long-term conditions and troublesome symptoms, however there are many difficulties involved. Palliative care (the management of life-limiting conditions and the symptoms that arise) is a much-needed function of the ED in addition to its role in treating acute conditions. This should be recognised by ED staff who need to be supported and given appropriate training so that these patients get they help they need.

Featured Image

Why is it important?

Provision of palliative care is a legitimate function of the emergency department. This needs to be recognised by all concerned. There are organisational issues which can make provision of palliative care difficult and these should be addressed so that patient care can be as good as possible. Most importantly all ED staff should understand that their role is more than acute care and be trained in basic competencies in palliative care.