Role and importance of Physiotherapy during Palliative Care in India: A Review

Dr. Tabassum Saher, Dr. Sheetal Kalra, Dr. Joginder Yadav, Shalu Thariwal, Khumanshi Yadav, Pinky Tanwar

Background and purpose of the study The importance of physiotherapy in life limiting diseases prevention and management has become generally well accepted. Palliative care is the multidisciplinary therapeutic approach for people with life limiting illness. It focuses on providing relief from symptoms such as pain, fatigue, physical stress and mental stress at any stage of illness. There has been limited research conducted to investigate the importance of role of physiotherapy in palliative care setting. So, the purpose of this study is to contribute a review to the current research involving the importance of physiotherapy during palliative care in patients who are suffering from life limiting illnesses Methods: There are number of research interventions and publications examining the benefits of physical activity in life threatening illnesses. This article reviewed included a variety of study designs like randomized control trials (RCTs), retrospective studies, pilot study, case reports, observational studies, feasibility studies and prospective cohort studies evaluating programs. We have included 20 articles for this study. This study has been completed by independently screening and reviewing the eighteen year studies that were published between the years 2001 to 2018 related to the role of physiotherapy during palliative care. The databases and journals searched included Google Scholar, PUBMED, MEDLINE and PEDro. Outcomes measures of this study are physical function, fatigue, pain and QOL. Results: Throughout all of the 20 reviewed articles, it was reported that physiotherapy results in improvements in a variety of aspects of patient’s functions and relief of symptoms. These benefits signify the valuable role that physiotherapy plays in caring for patients during palliative care and the impact it can have on patients’ functions and symptom management. This study strongly indicates the role of physiotherapy in improving independency of the patients and overall quality of life.