Defining and measuring a palliative approach in primary care [Définir et mesurer une approche palliative en soins primaires]

摘要

The most frequently cited statistic about palliative I care in Canada, quoted in numerous publications from Canadian policy makers, politicians, academics, advocates, and the mass media, is that "only 16-3096 of those who need it receiv[e] palliative care." The fallacy in this claim, of course, is the implication that all Canadians approaching the end of life should be cared for by specialist palliative care teams. The widely held perception is that primary care's role in providing palliative care is both minor and shrinking, and that the system's response should be to build webs of specialist palliative care to assume responsibility for the growing numbers of these patients.