There are many misconceptions about palliative care — and confusing it with hospice is one of them.
“I think patients often have concerns about palliative care,” says Nathan E. Goldstein, MD, Palliative Care Specialist at Mount Sinai in New York City. “They think it means that they’re at the end of their lives and that’s absolutely not true.”
Nathan E. Goldstein, MD, is a professor of geriatrics and palliative medicine at the Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City.
References
American Academy of Family Physicians. (2025). Palliative care.
National Institutes of Health Clinical Care. (2021). Pain and palliative care.
National Institute on Aging. (2021). What are hospice and palliative care?
Why trust our experts?
Written by:
Brittany DoohanBrittany Doohan was the Content Director at HealthiNation and is currently the Editorial Director at Medscape. Through her work with Medscape, she won a Silver Telly Award in May 2022 for "Sleepless Nation: A Public Health Epidemic — Episode 2: A Decade Without a Diagnosis." She has worked in health journalism and video production for more than 8 years, and loves the challenge of explaining complex topics in an easy-to-understand and creative way.
Reviewed by:
Mera Goodman, MD, FAAPMera Goodman, MD, FAAP, is a board-certified pediatrician. Prior to practicing medicine, she worked as a management consultant.
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