What are the benefits of palliative

What are the benefits of palliative care? Today there is a substantial body of evidence demonstrating the benefits of palliative care interventions within healthcare systems. In a recent economic assessment by Malaysia Health Technology Assessment Section (MaHTAS), it was reported that palliative care had significant effectiveness in the following areas:Quality of life (QOL) Studies showed that specialized palliative care in hospital based, community based, and home-based settings improved overall quality of life scores significantly in patients with life-threatening diseases including cancer, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and dementia. It also reduced caregiver burden, improved coordination of care, reduced hospital admissions and allowed patients to die in their preferred place of death.Physical well-being Palliative care interventions to address symptoms such as pain, dyspnea, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea have been found to significantly reduce these symptoms and improve physical wellbeing. Majority of these interventions include pharmacological management as well as palliative radiotherapyReducing costs of healthcare Health economic evaluations have also demonstrated that palliative care is cost saving. Patients receiving palliative care consultations had significantly lower hospital costs particularly if they had a diagnosis of cancer. Community based palliative care was also associated with reduced average in-patient hospital costs by about 7-10%. It was also associated with reduced acute admissions, bed days and healthcare costs in the last 1 year of life.Patient survival Interestingly, studies have also shown that apart from providing better quality of life at lower overall costs, palliative care also has a significant impact on patient survival. In a randomized controlled trial (RCT) looking at the effects of early palliative care in advanced lung cancer patients, it was found that patients receiving palliative care plus standard oncology care had significantly longer overall survival compared to those receiving standard oncology care alone (11.6 months vs 8.9 months; p=0.02).Psychosocial and spiritual well being Psychosocial interventions commonly used in the palliative care setting such as counseling, supportive therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy and psychoeducation are effective in improving QOL and emotional wellbeing of patients with advanced cancer. Interventions such as therapeutic life review and dignity therapy have also been shown to relieve existential and psychological distress in patients near the end of life.