The emergence of palliative care: a new specialized field of medicine requiring an interdisciplinary approach.

Palliative care is a relatively new field of medicine. Physicians have traditionally been trained within a curative model of care. The SUPPORT study identified shortcomings in care for seriously ill and dying patients in American hospitals. As a result of the SUPPORT study, there is a fast growing movement in the United States that is working to improve end-of-life care. Palliative care offers a new meaningful focus for patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatments and offers improvements in quality of life. The delivery of effective palliative care requires an interdisciplinary team approach in order to meet the complex needs of patients and families.