Here at UF Health, we carefully evaluate each person as a whole and unique individual, then develop a comprehensive treatment plan based on the patient’s goals of care to relieve physical, emotional, and spiritual suffering. Our overall goal is to improve and enhance the quality of life for patients and their families, so they can live each day to the fullest.

Palliative care, also known as supportive care, comes from the Latin root pallium, which refers to an outer garment that cloaks a person. Palliative care “cloaks” the symptoms of illness, adding quality to each day.

Who provides palliative care?

Palliative care is delivered by an interdisciplinary team, including:

• the patient’s individual physician
• palliative care physicians
• nurses
• social workers
• chaplains
• psychologists
• pharmacists

The difference between palliative care and hospice

Palliative care is different from Hospice care, as it is appropriate at any age, from pediatrics to geriatrics, and at any stage of a serious illness. It can be used in conjunction with curative treatment such as surgery, radiation and chemotherapy. Hospice is appropriate when a person is diagnosed with a terminal condition and their life expectancy is less than 6 months, and the person has no further curative options or chooses to not pursue treatment.

UF Health has adopted the World Health Organization definition and mission of palliative care delivery. Our goals include:

• Providing relief from pain and suffering by aggressive treatment of distressing symptoms including pain, shortness of breath, nausea, fatigue, insomnia, and constipation.
• Offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death by increasing function with physical and occupational therapy.
• Assist with goals of care planning including assisting patient in completion of Advance Directives.
• Integrates the patient’s spiritual and religious beliefs into their health care with the support of chaplains and priest.
• Integrates psychological and mental health support from social workers and trained psychologists and psychiatrists.
• Offer UF Health Integrative Medicine consultation to utilize techniques associated with complementary and alternative medications such as herbal medication, mind and body connection with therapies such as acupuncture, massage, yoga, and meditation.
• Offer UF Health Shands Art in Medicine consultation for patients to enjoy art, music, life journaling or to use art to express their illness and connect them to their families and health care providers to improve quality of life.

Interactive videos

• Learn More About Advance Directives
• Learn More About Palliative Care
• Learn More About Hospice

Recent literature

• Palliative Care: A specialty that has come into its own
• The Palliative Care Resource Nurses Pilot Survey: A Descriptive Report of Their Primary Palliative Care Role and Educational Needs
• Implementing primary palliative care best practices in critical care with the Care and Communication Bundle
• Acute kidney injury and hepatitis associated with energy drink consumption: a case report
• Dignity Therapy Led by Nurses or Chaplains for Elderly Cancer Palliative Care Outpatients: Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial