Palliative care admissions and referrals to specialised hospitals

Suvremena medicinska znanost usmjerena je liječenju i izlječenju od bolesti, dok se umiranje smatra nedostatkom, odnosno promašajem medicine. Za vrijeme liječenja većina članova zdravstvenog tima bavi se bolešću, a kada liječenje više ne daje rezultate, bolesnik i njegovi bližnji prepušteni su sami sebi. Bolesnik u terminalnom stadiju bolesti, kao i njegovi bližnji proživljavaju teške trenutke sve do smrti bolesnika, a nakon smrti obitelj u žalovanju ostaje sama, bez pomoći. Zato se sve više ukazuje na potrebu osnivanja palijativnih ustanova, regionalnih centara za palijativnu skrb, timova za palijativnu skrb, bolničkih odjela za palijativnu skrb, hospicija. Palijativna skrb počinje kad su iscrpljene klasične metode liječenja. Kvalitetnu palijativnu skrb pruža stručni tim specijalista koji međusobno surađuju, a to su specijalist obiteljske medicine, internist, onkolog, neurolog, psihijatar, psiholog, duhovnik, sestra koji posjeduju znanja o palijativnoj skrbi, socijalni radnik, farmakolog, nutricionist, rehabilitator. Nažalost u Hrvatskoj još uvijek ne postoji specijalizacija za palijativnu skrb. Palijativna skrb podrazumijeva brigu za bolesnika u terminalnom stadiju bolesti, važno je poboljšati kvalitetu života takvom bolesniku, pružiti pomoć i podršku njegovoj obitelji, čak i nakon smrti, do završetka procesa žalovanja.Modern medical science is focused on the threatment and the care of disease, while the death is considered as a deficiency or a failure of medicine. During threatment majoryti of members of the medical staff is dealing with the disease, but when the threatment is no longer giving the results, the patient and his close family are left to themselves. When the patient reaches the terminal stage of the disease, himself, as well as his close family are experiencing difficult moments until the patient’s death, and after the patient's death the family stays in mourning alone, without help. Stated reasons indicate the need of establising palliative care institutions, regional centers for palliative care, teams in palliative care, hospital departments for palliative care and the hospices. Palliative care begins when the conventional methods of threatment are no longer available. Efficient palliative care is provided by a professional team of specialist who are working together : the family practice specialist, internist, oncologist, neurologist, psyhiatrist, psyhologist, chaplain, nurse knowledgeable about palliative care, social worker, pharmacologist, nutritionist and physiotherapist. Unfortunately there is still no palliative care specialization in Croatia. Palliative care involves patients care in the terminal stage of the disease, where is quite important to improve the life quality of such patients, to provide assistance and support to their family, evan after his death, until the end of the mourning proces