Palliative Care Medicine

Clinical Services/Features

We provide the following services for patients who have been diagnosed with cancer at another hospital or our hospital and who are receiving or who are on a respite from treatment, patients who have diseases other than cancer such as heart failure, patients being seen at local medical facilities due to such diseases, and their bereaved families: (1) care for uncomfortable physical symptoms (pain, vomiting, respiratory distress, edema, etc.), (2) care for mental/psychological problems (anxiety, insomnia, depression, delirium, etc.), (3) assistance in selecting a place of treatment (at home, a hospice/palliative care unit, a nursing care facility, etc.) (4) assistance utilizing social systems (medical insurance, nursing insurance system, welfare systems, etc.), (5) support for patients’ families, and (6) care for patients’ bereaved families.
Maintaining quality of life soon after a diagnosis of cancer has been garnering attention in recent years since as it has been found to have a positive impact on cancer treatment and prolong survival. The multidisciplinary palliative care team provides care in collaboration with staff inside and outside of the hospital, including Palliative Care Medicine, Cardiology, psychiatrists, nurses, pharmacists, certified public psychologists, and social workers. This team is led by Palliative Care Medicine.
When a patient is admitted to the hospital, regardless of the disease, the ward nurse asks questions about the severity of the patient's distressing symptoms using a symptom screening sheet. Every Thursday, we hold hearings in the ward about cancer patient care in order to assist ward staff. Thus, we act as a team to minimize suffering for patients admitted to our hospital.
In addition, patients can receive outpatient services at any time, regardless of cancer treatment or disease stage. Palliative Care Medicine does not provide inpatient care as there are no beds available. Depending on consult details, we also collaborate with hospital departments, provide a referral to a specialist, or cooperate with local medical facilities and the government (e.g., the welfare division).