Care of dying patients

Caring for a patient during the last phase of his or her life is a demanding obligation and a privilege for the physician. The physician has the responsibility to be knowledgeable about the natural history of disease processes and the body's changing physiology. The physician must be thorough in the evaluation of the patient, not only in the physical and laboratory examinations, but also by striving to understand the patient psychologically, socially, and philosophically. The caregivers must be open, honest, and compassionate in dealing with the patient and family. The goals are to relieve suffering and to restore function to the fullest attainable extent, so that the patient can live his or her life in the most meaningful way. This requires frequent reevaluation of the patient and the judicious use of appropriate diagnostic and therapeutic modalities. As much as possible, the patient should be involved in the decision making process. The patient should be encouraged to make his or her wishes known before becoming unable to communicate, and should designate someone to act on his or her behalf. The grieving process often starts before death and may continue for many months. Plans should be made to assist the patient and the family in dealing with grief.