Palliative nursing in the 21^st century

Palliative care is the active holistic care of individuals across all ages with serious health-related suffering due to severe illness, and especially those near the end of life. Palliative care aims to improve the quality of life of patients, their families and their caregivers (1). This field of care is inclusive of all health care settings, throughout the course of an illness, and across the lifespan.