The Palliative Care Consult Service at Mayo Clinic provides symptom control and an opportunity to review the goals of care for patients facing serious illnesses. The word palliative means to alleviate or lessen. The palliative care treatment team enhances quality of life by alleviating symptoms.
At Mayo Clinic, palliative care experts work with primary care providers and with hospital patients facing a serious illness who have limited treatment options. Palliative care at Mayo Clinic addresses physical, mental and spiritual issues surrounding the patient's situation. Palliative care consultants work with family members and patients to foster a sense of personal control, maintain and improve functional ability, and relieve unnecessary suffering.
Palliative Care Team
At Mayo Clinic, a multidisciplinary team of care providers approaches each patient's case with creativity and empathy. A patient's care team may include medical experts in palliative care, medical oncology, radiation oncology, internal medicine, family medicine, anesthesiology, physical medicine, psychology, psychiatry, and other disciplines as needed. Other team members include nurses, dietitians, social workers, chaplains, physical therapists, pharmacists and respiratory therapists. For patients facing a serious medical condition, the primary treatment team will request a consult from a palliative care expert who then works with the primary care provider to identify and address care needs.
Conditions Treated with Palliative Care
All patients suffering from terminal conditions can participate in palliative care at Mayo Clinic. Some conditions have included cancer, heart problems, pulmonary (lung) problems, and neurologic disorders. Symptoms addressed include but are not limited to pain, fatigue, anorexia, nausea, dyspnea (difficulty breathing), anxiety, depression, edema, restlessness, skin disorders, delirium and insomnia.
