Palliative Care in Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A New Partnership

BACKGROUND: Palliative care (PC) is being increasingly recognized for benefitting patients with a wide spectrum of chronic serious medical conditions. METHODS: Care models and principles of PC for patient with inflammatory bowel disease were explored. RESULTS: The use of a structured and systematic approach for emotionally laden conversations and the “Total Pain” paradigm are examples of PC expertise that can be applied through either primary or consultative PC models. CONCLUSIONS: PC should be considered in clinical practice and as a topic for further scholarly investigation to further define its role and benefits.