Palliative Care

The department of palliative care is part of Kameda Palliative Care Team (PCT).

Mission of Kameda PCT is to support patients by palliating their physical, psychological, social and spiritual suffering, putting together the expertise of interdisciplinary team members’ with the spirit of love.

Since the department of palliative care was established in February of 2007, we have been working on improving the level of palliative care for the patients with advanced cancer and other incurable progressive diseases. Currently, we have two staff physicians and rotating residents. This department involves in inpatient care through consultation. Palliative care consultation is available for all inpatients with severe pain or distress. Consultation can be requested by patients themselves or the primary physician or the ward nurse when the level of distress of the patients/families is so severe that palliative care intervention is necessary.

The core roles of this department are as follows:

1.To provide a best total care possible for patients with a diagnosis of advanced cancer or other incurable progressive diseases having severe pain or distress.
2.To manage pain or distress from physical, psychological, social and spiritual aspects, with the multidisciplinary therapeutic approach.
3.To educate all hospital staff on different levels of palliative care in all dimensions at Kameda Medical Center so that all hospital staff can participate in and practice palliative care at any scenes on the job within the Medical Center.
4.To educate patients with terminal illnesses and their families on how to prepare for the last moment and make it a best time possible.
5.To foster a palliative care physician specialist through palliative care fellowship training program (2 year program).

Kameda PCT consists of interdisciplinary team members including physicians, nurses, pharmacists, social workers, psychotherapists, physical & occupational therapists, a chaplain, dietitians, volunteers, a total of about 25 members. Core PCT members (>50% of work designated in PCT activities) include three physicians who specialize in palliative care, a certified palliative care nurse, a chaplain, two occupational therapists, and a pharmacist.

Indications of PCT consultation are as follows:

1.Difficult pains and other uncontrolled symptoms caused by advanced cancer and other incurable progressive diseases.
2.Pain control with patient-controlled analgesia (PCA) using a PCA pump.
3.Counseling on psychological, existential distresses
4.Counseling on medications being prescribed
5.Counseling on discharge planning, financial issues
6.Counseling on diet and nutritional questions
7.Counseling on physical functionalities
8.Counseling on complementary and alternative medicine
9.Difficult decision-making for advanced care planning at the end-of-life

If you do not know whether you are indicated for palliative care consultation, please feel free to ask your primary physician or ward nurses in charge of you. For continuum of care, after you are discharged, you can be followed up at outpatient office of Dept of Palliative Care at Kameda Medical Center, if necessary.

Census of Kameda PCT inpatient consultation referrals
303 cases/year.(2011)

None