Palliative care

Identifying and definitional attributes

Metadata item type:Help on this termGlossary Item
METEOR identifier:Help on this term522938
Registration status:Help on this term
  • Health, Standard 08/05/2014
Definition:Help on this term

Palliative care is defined as the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. The control of pain, of other symptoms and of psychological, social and spiritual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families.

The point of transition to palliative care is when treatment goals become focussed on improving quality of life. However, the transition does not imply a discontinuation of active care or abandonment from the treating cancer team.

Palliative care may be administered in a community setting, for example, the patient's home or a nursing home, in the palliative care unit of an acute hospital, or a hospice.

Relational attributes

Metadata items which use this glossary item:Help on this term
Lung cancer (clinical) DSS
  • Health, Superseded 14/05/2015
Lung cancer (clinical) NBPDS
  • Health, Standard 14/05/2015
Person with cancer—date of referral to palliative care services, DDMMYYYY
  • Health, Standard 08/05/2014
Person with cancer—referral to palliative care services indicator
  • Health, Standard 08/05/2014
Person with cancer—referral to palliative care services indicator, yes/no/unknown code N
  • Health, Standard 08/05/2014
Referral to palliative care services indicator
  • Health, Standard 08/05/2014