醫師如何提供社區安寧緩和醫療

How Physicians Provide Community Hospice Palliative Care

安寧緩和療護與長期照護同樣都是透過適當的方式，極力維持病人的生活功能，提昇病人的生活品質，確保病人尊嚴，照護到最後一刻以追求善終；而且不只照護病人也照護家屬。目前國內安寧資源不足亦不均，如何讓患者能在長期照護的脈絡下，在疾病末期仍能接受連續性、整合性的照護，實現在地老化，在宅善終，實是一大課題。本文概述醫師在安寧緩和療護所扮演的角色，希藉此讓基層醫療院所醫師對安寧緩和療護有所認識，願意投入生命末期照護，真正成為在地民眾守護者。

Hospice palliative care, same as long-term care, is delivered based on appropriate plans to maintain patients' daily function, improve their quality of life, ensure their dignity, and pursue a good death. In addition to patients, this service is provided to their families. The hospice resources in Taiwan are insufficient and unevenly distributed. Therefore, it is essential for patients at terminal stage to receive continuous and integrated medical care, stay aging in place, and have a good death at home. This article describes the role of physicians in hospice palliative care in hopes that general practitioners can understand more about hospice palliative care, and then devote themselves to hospice palliative care and become health keepers in the community.