The boundaries of end-of-life care

摘要

The boundaries of palliative care and the understanding of what the discipline encompasses varies from one culture to the next and sometimes even from one practice to another. It can be difficult to agree on when to refer a person to palliative care, for example. Should cases be judged on the basis of physical deterioration only, or would psychological decline warrant referral to a type of palliative care? What, if any, are the specialities within this specialty? What is palliative care?