Palliative Care [5] [6] [7] [8]

・ Approach to health that emphasizes quality of life for patients and families facing life-threatening illness

・ Goal is multidisciplinary prevention and relief of suffering by treating pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual problems

・ Does not hasten or postpone death but makes quality of life the priority for patients and families

・ Does not represent an alternative to treatment but rather can be used alongside curative treatment, especially in chronic disease

Palliative Medicine [5]

・ Specialists who formally train in the concepts of palliative care

・ Many are regulated through certification by national organizations

・ Analogous to sub-specialists who exclusively treat hypertension, diabetes, or stroke

Hospice [5]

・ System of interdisciplinary care designed for patients at the end of life

・ Generally require prognosis of six months or less, but disease-specific criteria exist

・ Patients forgo curative treatment while receiving comprehensive inpatient or outpatient symptom relief