We must talk more about palliative care

During the lunch visit to the Vaudois University Hospital, CHUV, last Tuesday, Professor Gian Domenico Borasio, chair in Palliative Medicine at the University of Lausanne, presented several studies about the importance of palliative care in the scenario of an aging population. Unlike the popular perception, practices in this area don’t start just a few days before death.

The idea is to improve quality of life according to an individual’s reality and, of course, the expectations that a person has about this subject -- for some, good quality of life could be staying with their family, for instance, while for others is more about having a cultural life or taking part in sports. In recent years, Professor Borasio has established several chairs at the University related to palliative care in various areas of knowledge, such as nursing, geriatrics and psychology. He is leading a movement to establish the evidence-based practices of palliative care in more health services around the world. According to his perceptions, nowadays, most health systems ignore the idea and don’t include the patient in the decisions of the treatment. With more science to inform this topic, the gap may be diminished.

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