This blog features two physicians who usually agree with one another—vigorously disagreeing about who is responsible for palliative care.

Is palliative care a specialty or not? That’s the debate between these two.

One says the patient’s own doctor is responsible. The other says, in effect, that whether or not this is a specialty is a moot question— what they bring to patients is unique.

Curative care, obviously, seeks cure. Palliative care is part of curative care—symptom relief.

More formally, palliative care is a name used for the care of patients for whom no more curative treatment is planned.

Many people don’t know about palliative care specialists who work in hospitals and hospices. They do extraordinary work in helping the patient and the patient’s family.

Read on!

DB’s Medrants

Source: DB’s Medrants, March 19, 2010