호스피스와 물리치료

Physical Therapy in Hospice

Hospice, a concept of care for dying patients, focuses on providing comfort measures rather than aggressively searching for a cure. Hospice addresses symptom control from a wholistic view under the direction of an interdisciplinary team. Physical therapy fits with many of the tenets of hospice, such as the interdisciplinary team, inclusion of the patient and family as the care unit, provision of treatment in various in and out patient settings, and attention to the comfort of the patient. Physical therapy educators must recognize the need for medical ethics, psychosocial and medicolegal issues to be incorporated throughout the curriculum.