2019 Webinar: Palliative Care: What It Is and When To Use It-Palliative Care: What It Is and When To Use It

Video Transcription

Video Summary

This webinar focuses on the topic of palliative care for patients with liver disease. It discusses the definition of palliative care and how it differs from hospice care. The presenters provide an introduction to the key elements of palliative care evaluation and management, including physical symptoms, psychological aspects, advanced care planning, social and cultural issues, spiritual and religious matters, and end-of-life care. Two case studies are presented to illustrate how palliative care can be integrated into clinical management. The first case involves a patient with decompensated cirrhosis who is not a candidate for liver transplantation, while the second case involves a patient with progressive hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) who is not responding to local regional therapy. The presenters discuss the management strategies for these patients, including breaking bad news and addressing chronic pain. The webinar highlights the benefits of early palliative care interventions and the importance of interdisciplinary care for patients with liver disease. The presenters emphasize the need for hepatologists to integrate palliative care principles into their practice and discuss the referral process for specialty-level palliative care providers.

Asset Caption

Presenters: Lissi Hansen, PhD, Arpan Patel, MD and Christopher Woodrell, MD
Moderator: Mina Rakoski, MD, MSc

Keywords

palliative care

liver disease

hospice care

evaluation and management

physical symptoms

advanced care planning

end-of-life care

chronic pain

interdisciplinary care