The goal of Palliative Care is to facilitate communication among the patient, family members, and all healthcare providers across the continuum of care; to address the patient’s choices and goals for treatment; to provide effective symptom management; and to achieve the best quality of life for patients facing serious illness.
Palliative Care services at Greenville Hospital System (GHS) can ease some of the burdens of case management on primary physicians and staff. We provide assistance with care coordination and time-intensive communication between patients and family. Palliative Care is available to people of any age and at any stage of illness. Services can be received along with curative treatments.
Palliative Care Team Members
Palliative Care services at GHS are provided by medical specialists who are able to help with the many aspects of serious illness. Palliative Care providers work as a team to try to relieve suffering that results from serious illness. Team members include medical doctors, nurse practitioners, nurses, and chaplains to ensure that we can offer a comprehensive approach to meet each patient’s unique needs.
Our Palliative Care Program provides a team approach to:
- Expert pain and symptom management
- Emotional and spiritual support
- Family support
- Care coordination between members of the health care team
- Advance care planning
- Community support
Consulting Services
- Assist medical team and patient/family with communication about treatment choices and end-of-life decisions
- Provide pain and other symptom assessment and management (dyspnea, delirium, constipation, nausea)
- Provide support and counseling regarding end-of-life options during family meetings
When a referral is made
A Palliative Care physician or an Advanced Practice Nurse will review the consult request, talk with the patient and family, and complete the consultation with recommendations for the interdisciplinary plan of care. Patient/family needs, understanding, and progress will be assessed regularly and communicated to the referring physician and staff.
What a Palliative Care referral can do:
- Facilitate discussion about goals of care, treatment options, and patient and family wishes
- Help the patient and family understand the prognosis and rationale for treatment plan
- Assist with symptom management and the relief of suffering
- Enhance teamwork and communication by assisting with family needs for regular updates on patient condition and progress
- Facilitate discussion about advanced directives
- Decrease unnecessary ICU admissions and stays
- Improve end-of-life care by reducing unnecessary medication, tests, and procedures as comfort measures increase
- Recommend earlier referral to hospice care
Palliative Care referrals can be made by physicians, nurses, therapists, social workers, case managers, or at the request of the patient and family. A physician consult request is required.
To find out more about Palliative Care services at GHS, call (864) 455-3575.