Embracing Multidisciplinary Approach to Palliative Care: The Role of Medical Anthropology in Palliative Care

Abstract

Medical anthropology is concerned with how different cultures and social groups explain causes of ill health, types of treatment take n and where they turn to when ill. The discipline complements palliative care by aiding care providers to understand human beings in their cultural context. This paper discusses the role of medical anthropology in palliative care and proposes that palliative care capacity building should consider training in related disciplines like medical anthropology. The paper is based on review articles on linking palliative care to medical anthropology field. The review targeted key words: ‘palliative care’; ‘medical anthropology’ and ‘life threatening illnesses’ for all relevant papers up to July 2014. Palliative care seeks to improve the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life threatening illnesses, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification and impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems (physical, psychosocial and spiritual). Medical anthropology explains the influence of culture in the health seeking behaviours of people; appreciates medical pluralism, validates peoples’ interpretation of health and illness even before biomedical diagnosis is undertaken for palliative care interventions. Medical anthropology provides an important facet to understanding patients, family history, and the journey through health and illness, which is a useful foundation for palliative care provision. Medical Anthropology can be one of the essential complementary disciplines to palliative care.