[Outpatient care of patients with chronic painful states. A contribution to the quality of life.].

The care of severely ill patients, whether in hospital, in residential homes or in their own homes, should be characterized by humanity and dictated by efforts to make life worth living for the person concerned. Preservation of the quality of life should be paramount if the doctor can no longer effect a cure. Being cared for at home in the domestic setting is an enhancement of the quality of life in itself. A change in surroundings and in the daily round is particularly burdensome for a person who is ill. Close contact with members of the family and with friends and neighbours is particularly important in this phase of life. A sick person's quality of life is what the legislator had in mind when domiciliary care was given priority over residential care at the time of the legal changes to reform the health care system.