Palliative care

Although there are respiratory diseases that are acute and respond well to treatments, many end in what could be viewed as an essentially palliative or terminal phase. Many respiratory disease processes are essentially chronic in nature and some patients should be considered palliative from diagnosis. There is increasing evidence that patients with end-stage lung disease experience declining heath, anxiety, depression, fatigue, coping difficulties, and somatic preoccupation, and if this is unrecognized then there is a potential for basic needs to remain unmet. This chapter describes the management of breathlessness, chest clearance, and relaxation during the palliative phase of care, methods for managing anxiety, depression, and pain, and the nurse’s role in care during end-of-life care.