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Palliative Care for Lung Disease Patients

Offering Pain Control and Symptom Management

Jul 17, 2009 Kristie Jernigan

Lung disease affects millions of people each year and the symptoms associated with the disease can cause a decline in a patient's quality of life.

The website for The American Lung Association reports that there are 35 million Americans living with chronic lung disease. Palliative care is a program that helps with the treatment of patients suffering from various chronic or terminal lung conditions. Palliative care offers pain relief and management of symptoms that can go along with serious lung diseases. This ultimately allows the patient a great measure of physical and mental comfort so that they can concentrate on other areas of their lives.

What is Palliative Care?

Palliative Care is a program used to treat patients with chronic or terminal illness. It can be offered at any time during the disease process. However, in cases where the patient is terminal it is used as a stage before hospice is ordered. Palliative care professionals are trained in pain management and management of the symptoms of chronic and terminal disease. The palliative care team consists of a physician, nurse, social worker and chaplain services. This team works closely with the primary physician to try and meet the health care and psychological needs of the patient.

Psychological Issues

Palliative care has trained professionals such as social workers and chaplains that are available to deal with any mental issues that might arise. Social workers are usually licensed by the state in counseling. These social workers are adept at dealing with patients suffering from depression or going through stages of grief. The chaplains can help patients that are trying to face a terminal condition. This can improve the patient's spiritual well being and help them move forward to the next phase of life. Both the social worker and the chaplain can also help the patient's family deal with any psychological concerns.

Lung Disease

There are many different conditions that can cause lung disease. These can include: COPD (chronic obstructive, pulmonary disorder), lung cancer, bronchitis, pneumonia, and asthma. The website for the Mayo Clinic reports that palliative care is offered to lung cancer patients when the patient chooses not to have other treatments. Palliative care is then offered as a comfort measurement so that the patient is able to still do the daily activities that they choose. In other cases palliative care can be used to minimize the symptoms that the patient may be experiencing.

Dealing with chronic or terminal conditions can be difficult for both the patients and the families. Having professionals that are trained in how to deal with the symptoms and pain associated with these diseases is very important. It can add a peace of mind for the patient and their families. In turn, this allows the patients and family to deal with the aspects of their lives that are the most important to them.

The Mayo Clinic; Lung Cancer; 2009

The American Lung Association; Lung Diseases A to Z; 2009;

The copyright of the article Palliative Care for Lung Disease Patients in General Medicine is owned by Kristie Jernigan. Permission to republish Palliative Care for Lung Disease Patients in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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