Comfort Care Measures

It is not equivalent to a physician order to withhold emergency resuscitative measures such as do not resuscitate dnr.

Comfort care measures. Essentially when patients elect comfort care they re electing aggressive measures in terms of symptom control. Comfort care is an essential part of medical care at the end of life. Definition of comfort care measures what is comfort care.

Palliative care can be given for any disease or illness even if the person recovers. Comfort care measures assess patient comfort q15 30 mins initially for pain dyspnea secretions delirium agitation anxiety fear and nausea vomiting constipation and fever. Oral care as needed to promote comfort moisturizing.

It is care that helps or soothes a person who is dying. Comfort measures are sometimes called palliative measures but they are different. What are comfort measures.

Comfort care is defined as a patient care plan that is focused on symptom control pain relief and quality of life. Once comfort achieved assess above symptoms q1hr and prn. Comfort care is a form of medical care that focuses on relieving symptoms and optimizing comfort as patients undergo the dying process.

It can also be provided in a hospice or long term care facility. Comfort measures are ways suffering can be eased during end of life care. Care can be provided at home or in a hospital.

The goals are to prevent or relieve suffering as much as possible and to improve quality of life while respecting the dying person s wishes. It is typically administered to patients who have already been hospitalized several times with further medical treatment unlikely to change matters. Comfort care requires the meticulous palliation of troubling symptoms and offering of skilled psychosocial and spiritual support to the patient and the patient s family.