Top Ten Tips Palliative Care Clinicians Should Know About Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.

Physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) is a specialty of medicine focused on optimizing function and quality of life for individuals with physical impairments, injuries, or disabling illnesses. Given the sometimes acute nature of the loss of function and even loss of independence, there are significant palliative care (PC) needs within patients seen by PM&R. This article, written by a team of PM&R and PC specialists, aims to help the PC team better understand the world of postacute care, expand their toolkit for treating musculoskeletal and neurological symptoms, improve prognostication for patients with brain and spinal cord injuries, and decide when patients may benefit from PM&R consultation and support. There is significant overlap between the populations treated by PM&R and PC. Better integration between these specialties will help patients to maintain independence as well as advance excellent patient-centered care.

The Value of Rehabilitation Medicine for Patients Receiving Palliative Care.

BACKGROUND: Rehabilitation medicine is a multidisciplinary field aimed at improving patients' quality of life by improving function. Patients receiving palliative care frequently share common symptoms including fatigue, decreased functional independence, mood disorders, pain, and breathlessness. Many rehabilitation interventions can improve these symptoms. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the scope and effectiveness of rehabilitation interventions and exercise programs in improving quality of life and distressing symptoms in patients receiving palliative care. METHODS: We conducted a literature review of cancer rehabilitation topics and techniques specifically applied to patients with life-limiting conditions. Exercise and other rehabilitation interventions were analyzed for their effects on common symptoms and disabilities experienced by this patient population. CONCLUSION: Current available literature supports the use of exercise programs and rehabilitation interventions to improve fatigue, mood, functional independence, breathlessness, and pain. Rehabilitation and palliative care practitioners share many goals in their approach to patient care and augment one another well. Palliative care providers should consider referral to physiatry (physical medicine and rehabilitation) to help optimize patients' quality of life.