Palliative care and neurology: a path to neuropalliativism

Abstract

This article aims to expand the understanding of how it is possible to alleviate suffering and enable a dignified life trajectory for patients with progressive neurological diseases or with severe and permanent neurological impairment. The four most common disease trajectories described for people with chronic and progressive disease used to advance care planning, Brazilian normative ethical resolutions, evidence-based benefits of palliative care (PC), as well as particularities of PC in neurology, such as neurological symptom control, caring for existential and psychological suffering, care provider’s needs and particularities of pediatric neurologic PC are reviewed.

Palliative Care: Multidisciplinary Approach to People with Traumatic Brain Injury

“…Research by Silveira and Forte [26] highlights that many professionals still perceive Palliative Care (PCs) as relevant only when there is no longer the possibility of curative treatment. However, PCs are approaches for preventing suffering in adults and children with potentially fatal diseases, seeking early identification and integrated control in treatments that modify the disease, starting from the diagnosis of a serious condition, such as traumatic brain injury (TBI).…”

“…Estimating the prognosis accurately for patients with brain injury can be challenging, but this approach is crucial because it largely determines the level of care we provide, from aggressive treatment for patients we anticipate could have a good outcome to withdrawing treatment for those we expect to have a poor outcome. An accurate prognosis is necessary for ethical decision-making [26].…”