Table 1.

Definitions of terms related to palliative care.

Term	Definition
Palliative care	Patient and family-centered care throughout the continuum of illness that optimizes quality of life by decreasing suffering including eight domains: Structure and process of care Physical aspects of care Psychological and psychiatric aspects Social aspects of care Spiritual, religious, and existential aspects of care Cultural aspects of care Care of the patient at the end of life Ethical and legal aspects of care
Hospice care	Patient and family-centered care to manage physical, emotional, social, and spiritual needs at the end of life and into bereavement
Advance care planning	A dynamic process where patients anticipate and discuss treatment options in preparation for death, serious illness, and/or potential incapacity; can result in the completion of advance directives and POLST forms
Advance directives	A variety of legal documents (i.e., living will or durable power of attorney) providing details on the patient’s future healthcare wishes and goals of care
Living will	Document detailing an individual’s healthcare preferences under specific situations, can include information on refusing, limiting, or withholding life-sustaining treatment
Durable power of attorney	Document appointing a health care proxy to make healthcare decisions in the event of decision making incapacity
Healthcare proxy	Individual appointed by the patient to make healthcare decisions when the patient lacks decision making capacity
POLST form	Physicians Orders for Life-Sustaining Treatment (POLST) forms include actionable medical orders for seriously ill patients; meant to be easily modified and used to determine the appropriateness of life sustaining measures in a medical crisis; MOLST, MOST, and POST forms are similar to POLST forms.