Palliative care is an interdisciplinary medical caregiving approach aimed at optimizing quality of life and mitigating suffering among people with serious, complex, and often terminal illnesses. Within the published literature, many definitions of palliative care exist. The World Health Organization (WHO) describes palliative care as "an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain, illnesses including other problems whether physical, psychosocial, and spiritual". In the past, palliative care was a disease specific approach, but today the WHO takes a broader patient-centered approach that suggests that the principles of palliative care should be applied as early as possible to any chronic and ultimately fatal illness. This shift was important because if a disease-oriented approach is followed, the needs and preferences of the patient are not fully met and aspects of care, such as pain, quality of life, and social support, as well as spiritual and emotional needs, fail to be addressed. Rather, a patient-centered model prioritizes relief of suffering and tailors care to increase the quality of life for terminally ill patients.
Terminal illness or end-stage disease is a disease that cannot be cured or adequately treated and is expected to result in the death of the patient. This term is more commonly used for progressive diseases such as cancer, dementia or advanced heart disease than for injury. In popular use, it indicates a disease that will progress until death with near absolute certainty, regardless of treatment. A patient who has such an illness may be referred to as a terminal patient, terminally ill or simply as being terminal. There is no standardized life expectancy for a patient to be considered terminal, although it is generally months or less. Life expectancy for terminal patients is a rough estimate given by the physician based on previous data and does not always reflect true longevity. An illness which is lifelong but not fatal is a chronic condition.
Greater Baltimore Medical Center (GBMC) is a U.S. hospital located in the Baltimore suburb of Towson, Maryland. It was opened in 1965. GBMC serves more than 20,455 inpatient cases and approximately 52,000 emergency department visits annually. GBMC's main campus includes three medical office buildings—Physicians Pavilion East, Physicians Pavilion West, and Physicians Pavilion North I. In addition to its main campus located in Towson, GBMC has several facilities located throughout the community including in Hereford, Hunt Manor, Hunt Valley, Owings Mills, Perry Hall, Lutherville, Phoenix, and Timonium.
Spartanburg Regional Healthcare System(SRHS) is one of South Carolina's largest healthcare systems. SRHS draws patients primarily from the areas of Spartanburg, Cherokee, Union, and Greenville counties (all located in the Piedmont region of South Carolina), as well as Rutherford and Polk counties (located in western North Carolina). Spartanburg General Hospital was organized under the authority of the South Carolina General Assembly in 1917. It officially became the Spartanburg Regional Health Services District, Inc., a political subdivision of the State of South Carolina, by the charter granted by the Secretary of State of South Carolina on May 1, 1995.
University Hospitals Portage Medical Center is a 117-staffed-bed hospital located in Ravenna, Ohio, United States, that serves the residents of Portage County and surrounding communities. Affiliated with University Hospitals of Cleveland, the hospital includes an urgent care facility, surgery center, comprehensive imaging facilities, and a network of physician practices. It offers surgical, women's and emergency services, as well as cancer and respiratory care. It was founded in 1894 as White Hospital and became the Portage County Hospital in 1917. From 1932 to 2015 it was known as Robinson Memorial Hospital.
Bangkok Hospital is a hospital in Bangkok, Thailand. It was opened in 1972 by a team of physicians, pharmacists and 30 nurses. It is one of the largest privately owned hospitals in Southeast Asia. The original hospital became the Bangkok Hospital Group, now Thailand's largest hospital operator with 40 locations in major cities throughout Thailand.
Hospice care is a type of health care that focuses on the palliation of a terminally ill patient's pain and symptoms and attending to their emotional and spiritual needs at the end of life. Hospice care prioritizes comfort and quality of life by reducing pain and suffering. Hospice care provides an alternative to therapies focused on life-prolonging measures that may be arduous, likely to cause more symptoms, or are not aligned with a person's goals.
St. Joseph Medical Center (SJMC) is a hospital in Tacoma, Washington. Part of Virginia Mason Franciscan Health, it was the founding Washington operation of the former Franciscan Health System.
St. Luke's University Health Network (SLUHN) is a non-profit network of 15 campuses and over 300 outpatient sites. The health network is headquartered in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania.
McLaren Health Care Corporation, headquartered in Grand Blanc, Michigan, includes 13 hospitals in Michigan, ambulatory surgery centers, imaging centers, a 490-member employed primary and specialty care physician network, commercial and Medicaid HMOs covering more than 732,838 lives in Michigan and Indiana, home health, infusion and hospice providers, pharmacy services, a clinical laboratory network and a wholly owned medical malpractice insurance company. McLaren operates Michigan’s largest network of cancer centers and providers, anchored by the Karmanos Cancer Institute, one of only 53 National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer centers in the U.S. McLaren has 28,000 full-time, part-time and contracted employees and more than 113,000 network providers throughout Michigan and Indiana. They used to operate in Ohio, but ended up shutting down St. Luke’s Hospital, and selling both the hospital, along with WellCare Physicians Group, to Bon Secours Mercy Health.
Providence Regional Medical Center Everett is a full-service medical center and the flagship hospital of Providence Health & Services, the largest faith-based healthcare system in the Northwestern United States. It serves patients from Snohomish County, Skagit County, Whatcom County, Island County, and San Juan County, Washington. Its two campuses are located in Downtown Everett, Washington.
Taipei Veterans General Hospital is a national first-class medical center and a teaching hospital that provides tertiary patient care, undergraduate medical education programs and residency programs in Taiwan. It was founded in 1958 and administered by the Veterans Affairs Council. It is in Beitou District, Taipei and majorly serves patients in northern Taipei and New Taipei. Three branches, Taoyuan Veterans Hospital, Yuanshan Veterans Hospital, and Suao Veterans Hospital, were established.
Penrose Hospital is a 364-bed hospital located in Colorado Springs, Colorado and owned by Penrose-Saint Francis Health Services. The campus includes Penrose Hospital, the Penrose Cancer Center, the E Tower building, the Penrose Pavilion, and the John Zay House. The hospital is a Level II trauma center.
Clatterbridge Health Park is a campus of otherwise independent, health care-related organisations, including three separate NHS trusts.
Assisi Hospice is a hospice facility in Singapore that provides palliative care to terminally ill patients. It is founded, owned, and run by the Franciscan Missionaries of the Divine Motherhood.
Spectrum Health Lakeland is a nonprofit community-owned health system in southwest Michigan. The health system comprises three hospitals, an outpatient surgery center, a regional cancer center, rehabilitation centers, two long-term care residences, home care and hospice services, and 34 affiliate physician practice locations.
Middlesex Hospital is a non-profit, acute care community hospital in Middletown, Connecticut.
Cooley Dickinson Hospital is a nonprofit community hospital located in Northampton, Massachusetts. It is the primary hub of Cooley Dickinson Health Care, a regional network of primary and specialty care medical providers, an affiliate of Massachusetts General Hospital, which is part of Mass General Brigham.
Cynthia Goh was a pioneer of palliative care in Singapore. She served as the chairman of the Singapore Hospice Council and the co-chairman of the Worldwide Hospice Palliative Care Alliance, and was inducted into the Singapore Women's Hall of Fame in 2014.
