Multidisciplinary Team in Palliative Care

• Palliative Care Experts
• Oncologists/ Pulmonologists/ Cardiologists/ Neurologists/ Nephrologists/ Orthopedicians/ Psychiatrists depending on the diagnosis of the patients
• Psychologists
• Physiotherapist
• Social Workers
• Palliative Care Nurses
• Nursing attendants
• Spiritual Guides
• Life Coaches/Fitness Guides
• Dieticians
• Volunteers.

Role of Multidisciplinary Team in Palliative Care

• Addressing the ethical challenges of early identification of people requiring palliatives care
• Improving care of identified patients and establishing a systematic approach for proactive care planning.
• Engaging the patient and the family in decision making.
• Starting advance care planning.
• Organising the care in different settings.
• Once the goals of the care are agreed and therapeutic plan is defined, a comprehensive care plan is designed and implemented with care management methodology, with a preventive approach, which also includes the following:

• Defining the team leaders for every patient
  
• Sharing assessment plans and follow up with the team.
  
• Defining the role of services and others in
  
- Conventional follow up
- Shared or individual decision making
- Prevention and care of urgent situations
- Planning transfer between different services

Responsibilities of Multidisciplinary Team

Most important responsibility is to promote the real benefits of starting palliative care early, by doing multidimensional assessment, advance care planning and case management. While doing this, ensure minimising the risks of stigmatization, losing curative opportunities and its impact on patients and families.

After assessing and identifying the needs of the patients and their care takers a comprehensive care plan is charted by the multidisciplinary team, to manage the pain and other distressing symptoms.