ABSTRACT
Palliative care has been defined and described by the World Health Organization as
the active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain and other symptoms, and of psychological, social and spiritual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative care is achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families. Many aspects of palliative care are also applicable earlier in the course of the illness in conjunction with (active treatment of the disease) ... 1
Evidence-based medicine has been defined as
the conscientious, explicit and judicious use of current best evidence in making decisions about the care of individual patients. 2
These two definitions appear logical and compatible. But evidencebased palliative care is more often the exception than the rule. Palliative care is largely based on anecdote and experience which often are not consistent with the evidence. This publication presents the evidence that has become available in recent years on the most effective and cost-effective management of 15 common symptoms experienced by patients with advanced, irreversible disease.
