Abstract
Anesthetists can play important roles in palliative care. We, pain clinicians in our anesthesiology department, have made comprehensive contributions to palliative medicine for the last decade, moreover, since the palliative care team (PCT) in our hospital was established in 2007, the pain clinicians have participated in and led this multidisciplinary team. Pain clinicians in our PCT not only take charge in the management of physical symptoms of the patients but also coordinate all the medical professionals treating or caring for the patients and their families. We directly examine and assess the total pain of each patient every day, prescribe drugs necessary for symptom management, and set up infusion pumps. At least one pain clinician is on call every night including weekends and holidays. This type of direct intervention to every referred patient in each ward throughout the hospital has been the consistent policy of our department since the pain clinicians began participating in palliative medicine. Quick responses to the changes in a patient's condition, rapid consultation about any clinical issues involving the patients and caregivers, and high reliability of the activities performed by the team are major advantages in this direct intervention system of our PCT.
