Improving quality in colon and rectal surgery through palliative care.

ABSTRACT

Palliative care is a medical discipline that emphasizes quality of life and can be provided in parallel with recovery-directed treatments in colon and rectal surgery. Palliative care is receiving increasing attention and investigation for its potential to improve quality and outcomes for a wide spectrum of patients by benefiting symptom management, supporting complex health care decision making and facilitating care transitions. Primary palliative care refers to the application of palliative care principles by clinicians of all disciplines whereas specialty palliative care is a multidisciplinary approach and includes a clinician with advanced training and experience.