Sources and selection criteria I searched PubMed from January 2010 to August 2015 in the English language by using the term “the needs of dying for palliative care patient”. The search yielded 132 references, but only a limited number of articles were directly related to the care of dying patients, mainly focused on cure instead and the participants are mainly health care providers. This review is also based on personal experience gained as a specialist in palliative medicine based in a hospice and a university teaching hospital over 17 years.