Palliative Care in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis

Betty R. Ferrell, PhD, RN

February 04, 2019

'Please, No More Doctors'

Blake is a 70-year-old farmer diagnosed with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a progressive fibrosing type of interstitial lung disease. Blake delayed seeking medical care but recently experienced worsened shortness of breath that was affecting his ability to function, so he visited his primary care doctor in a rural clinic near his home. His doctor referred Blake for evaluation by a pulmonologist in a major medical center, several hours' drive away. Blake's daughter, a social worker at the same medical center, suggests that her father also be seen by palliative care. Her mother asks, "What is palliative care?" followed by "Don't you think we have enough doctors?"

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Cite this: Palliative Care in Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis - Medscape - Feb 04, 2019.

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