The World Health Organization (WHO) defines palliative care as an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness. It aims to prevent and relief of suffering through early identification, assessment, and treatment of pain and other physical, psychosocial and spiritual issues. Palliative care:
- provides relief from pain and other distressing symptoms
- affirms life and regards dying as a normal process
- intends neither to hasten or postpone death
- integrates the psychological and spiritual aspects of patient care
- offers a support system to help patients live as actively as possible until death
- offers a support system to help the family cope during the patient's illness and in their own bereavement
- uses a team approach to address the needs of patients and their families, including bereavement counselling, if indicated
- will enhance quality of life, and may also positively influence the course of illness
- is applicable early in the course of illness, in conjunction with other therapies that are intended to prolong life, such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy, and includes those investigations needed to better understand and manage distressing clinical complications (WHO 2020).
The AIHW’s Palliative care services in Australia report provides centralised and accessible information on a range of palliative care services. More data relating to palliative care services can also be found under Aged care, Older people and Hospitals.
The AIHW is also working with palliative care stakeholders to help address data gaps in palliative care reporting. The AIHW, in collaboration with the End-of-Life Care Data Development Working Group released the National Palliative Care and End-of-Life Care Information Priorities report (PDF 892KB) in January 2022. The report outlines an aspirational vision for national palliative care information development over the next decade and articulates priorities aimed at supporting this vision.
The AIHW has also been exploring the use of the National Health Data Hub (NHDH) linked data asset for filling key data gaps in palliative care. In 2025, AIHW released analysis of Specialist palliative care use for older people receiving aged care using NHDH data to understand differences in palliative care use. The Palliative care and health service use for people with life-limiting conditions report released in May 2024, was the first national study to provide insights on need, receipt, and unmet need of specialist palliative care across multiple settings of care and in combination with other health services. These types of analysis were previously not possible using single data collections.
Reference
WHO (World Health Organization) (2020) WHO Palliative care, WHO website, accessed 9 May 2024.
