Conclusions
within cancer, death, illness
DISEASE
Existing data support that proactive palliative care is safe and likely to confer benefit, particularly among patients who have complex symptoms and/or who are approaching the end of life; our data support that palliative care is feasible and safe in surgical patient populations. Given improved acceptance and delivery of palliative care practices and principles within general medical practice, particularly within cancer care, palliative care provided by nonspecialists may be sufficient for some patients, particularly when a serious illness is at an early stage and symptomatic care is straightforward. Specialist palliative care resources are often limited and can likely be targeted toward patients with a more complex status, such as those with more advanced disease, those closer to the time of death, and/or those with complex physical, psychological, and/or social symptoms that may merit involvement of trained and experienced specialists.