Basic & Clinical Cancer Research (Apr 2018)
Team approach in palliative care: A Narrative review
Abstract
Background: aging of population, high incidence of cancer and chronic diseases have led to the focus of medical care on managing symptoms of the disease, raising the ability of patients, quality of life and helping patients and their families cope with threatening illnesses. The comprehensive management of cancer patients in the palliative care system is not possible except through interdisciplinary and multidisciplinary approaches. In these approaches, the focus is on the patient and the family as well as the best care for the patient. This study aims at investigating and introducing a team approach as the basis of palliative care as well as its advantages and its implementation barriers. Methods: This paper was a literature review using a detailed search in the databases: Science Direct, Scopus, SID, PubMed, Magiran as well as reviewing articles and clinical trials between 2000 and 2017. Results: Teamwork approach is a process in which a group of health professionals cooperate with one another to promote health, prevent and treat diseases and provide other health services. Increasing patients’ satisfaction and survival, providing coordinated care, helping patients to make decisions and be engaged in their own treatment, reducing the cost of treatment, and using evidence-based guidelines in managing the symptoms are the advantages of teamwork to the patient providing the proper environment for learning and increasing the knowledge and skills of members, leading to creativity and problem solving in group members. Financial problems, lack of workforce, inadequate time, and poor communication skills are among the barriers for implementation of this approach. Conclusion: In spite of the obstacles and challenges faced in the implementation of teamwork, attempts have been made to eliminate the barriers in order to institutionalize and implement this approach for palliative care, having advantages for both patients and the organization.
