Medical Definition of palliative care
: medical and related care provided to a patient with a serious, life-threatening, or terminal illness that is not intended to provide curative treatment but rather to manage symptoms, relieve pain and discomfort, improve quality of life, and meet the emotional, social, and spiritual needs of the patient
Many still believe palliative care is appropriate only when nothing more can be done to treat a patient's disease and prolong life. But unlike hospice, palliative care can and should be delivered while patients continue treatment for their diseases.— Jane E. Brody, The New York Times, 3 Dec. 2013
Learn More about palliative care
Dictionary Entries near palliative care
See More Nearby EntriesCite this Entry
“Palliative care.” Merriam-Webster.com Medical Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/medical/palliative%20care. Accessed 12 Apr. 2021.
Style: MLA
MLA
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Chicago
APA
Merriam-Webster
Comments on palliative care
What made you want to look up palliative care? Please tell us where you read or heard it (including the quote, if possible).
Test Your Vocabulary
The Exceptions Quiz III
-
- Which of these words does not mean "nonsense"?
Test your visual vocabulary with our 10-question challenge!
TAKE THE QUIZ
Anagram puzzles meet word search.
TAKE THE QUIZLove words? Need even more definitions?
Merriam-Webster unabridged
Words at Play
Ask the Editors
Share palliative care