PRAGMA CORP.
Palliative care for HIV/AIDS in less developed countries
Traditional palliative care models emphasize patients" physical, spiritual, and psychosocial comfort during the terminal stages of illness and were developed in response to the needs of cancer patients, where there is a relatively clear demarcation between active curative care and palliation.
Sanei, Linda · 1998
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Abstract
HIV/AIDS has challenged this traditional paradigm, because the divisions between active curative care and palliation are much less clear. Palliative care for HIV/AIDS thus encompasses a much broader set of interventions, from initial diagnosis to the final stages of the disease, in response to the physical, emotional, psychosocial, spiritual, and bereavement needs of people living with HIV/AIDS and their families and caregivers. This discussion paper articulates the ethical underpinnings of palliative care, describes the paradigm shift, and examines the clinical components of palliative care for HIV/AIDS, with an emphasis on nutritional support. It explores alternative therapies, discusses the challenges of delivering palliative care in less developed countries, and outlines some linkages between palliative care and prevention. It suggests that palliative care is comprehensive care which is affordable and can often be delivered in the home, when there is a well functioning referral system and supportive family structure. The overall goals of palliative care are to relieve, improve or control symptoms, and maximize quality of life (Schopper and Walley 1992). The palliative approach emphasizes the importance of the psychosocial and spiritual as well as the physical needs of the person living with HIV/AIDS and includes consideration of the family and caregivers (Finlay and Jones 1995). (Author abstract)
