March 30th is National Doctors Day — and what better day to recognize everything our physicians and medical directors do for our hospice and palliative care patients and their families.
The first Doctors Day was held in Georgia on March 30th, 1933. The wife of a physician established it. In 1958, the U.S. House of Representatives adopted a resolution to commemorate the holiday. In 1990, the Senate introduced legislation to make it a national holiday, which was signed into law by President George Bush in October of 1990.
The Importance of Doctors in Hospice Care
Hospice doctors and medical directors provide a holistic approach to ensure that patients’ physical, emotional, practical, social, and spiritual needs are met.
Hospice physicians and medical directors concentrate on enhancing the patient’s comfort by reducing pain and suffering. This, in turn, improves their quality of life and allows them to live out their final days peacefully and comfortably, which helps their families cope with the challenges of their illness and losing them.
Patients in their last months are often cared for by palliative care physicians. In addition, they work with a team that includes nurses, pharmacists, social workers, and volunteers.
The hospice physician or medical director aims to make life as comfortable as possible for patients whose health is steadily deteriorating. Providing top-notch medical care to patients at the end of their lives depends on the cooperation of physicians within the hospice team and those working as consultants. They work as part of a team and assist people and their families with making decisions related to illness and end of life.
We Can Help
Our hospice physicians and medical directors are board-certified, experienced specialists in hospice and palliative medicine. They have pain and symptom management expertise — two hallmarks of hospice care.
Contact us today to learn more about how hospice can help.