“Sometimes the most powerful care we can offer is simply helping someone feel better”

A GP Trainee’s Journey into Palliative Care 

I’m a GP trainee, until the last month of July rotating in palliative medicine for four months at Galway Hospice.

As part of my training, we rotate through different specialties and this placement has been focused on understanding the basics of palliative care: how we approach patients, how we communicate with families, and how we shift our perspective from disease-centred management to comfort-focused care.

Before joining palliative medicine, I assumed it was mainly for terminally ill patients, referred when there was nothing else that could be done. But my experience here has completely changed that perspective.

I now understand that people are referred for symptom management, not just end-of-life care. That shift in thinking has been one of the most valuable outcomes of my time here.

Carrying Palliative Skills into General Practice

Looking ahead, I hope to carry forward what I’ve learned in palliative care into general practice. I’ve seen how important it is, and I now understand that GPs play a huge role in this field—something I didn’t fully appreciate before.

I’m very grateful to have had this exposure. Many GP trainees don’t get the chance to rotate through palliative care, and I consider myself lucky to have done so.

One of the biggest takeaways for me has been communication—learning how to speak with patients and their families in vulnerable moments. For example, explaining to a child that their parent may soon pass away, answering their questions, and making sure they feel heard. That’s something I will carry with me always.

Hospice Care Means Treating the Person, Not Just the Disease

If I had to explain hospice care to someone unfamiliar with it, I would say: it’s not about treating the disease—it’s about treating the person. We focus on what the patient feels. Whether it’s pain, nausea, confusion, or emotional distress, we work to ease it. These are things that can often be overlooked in more conventional medical settings, but they are essential to dignity and comfort.

A message I would share with colleagues is this: don’t underestimate the value of symptom management. Often, when we’re too focused on curing disease, we may end up extending a patient’s suffering. Here, I’ve seen people arrive with a prognosis of days and go on to live longer, more comfortably.

So if there’s one thing I’ve learned and want to pass on, it’s this: sometimes the most powerful care we can offer is simply helping someone feel better.

– Dr Farhan Athar