Early Palliative Care Improves Patient and Caregiver Quality of Life

Patients receiving early palliative care experience improved quality of life, may live longer, and may have earlier referrals to hospice. Caregivers with loved ones receiving early palliative care experience improved communication, decreased risk of caregiver burnout, and improved bereavement adjustment. Studies have shown that patients who received palliative care at diagnosis lived 2.5 months longer than those who did not; patients who received aggressive resuscitation or intensive care admission near the end of life had worse quality of life; and caregivers were three times more likely to develop depression following patient death for those who did not receive early palliative care.