Meet Hita Sharma, MD, ABPHM, and Director of Palliative Care at Flushing Hospital Medical Center (FHMC) as well as faculty supervisor and Director of the Internal Medicine Program.
Dr. Sharma joined the FHMC team in 2000 and became the Director of the Palliative Care Program in 2003. Palliative care is a specialized type of medical care that can be provided in conjunction medicinal treatment for people with terminal illness. It focuses on providing relief from the symptoms and stress to the patient and family members caused by a terminal illness.
When asked what the best part of her job is Dr. Sharma replies with a look of satisfaction, “It is a wonderful feeling to help a person who is nearing the end of their life. When you are a part of making that person and their family feel comfortable it gives you a personal sense of gratification. In palliative care, you are treating more than their disease or sense of loss with medication; you are treating their emotional strength during the hardest time in their lives.”
A typical day for Dr. Sharma begins with making rounds in the Emergency Department and then on the floors with residents. She refers to her students as her “children.” “I teach them as I taught my own children to treat people with compassion.” Dr. Sharma has two sons, one is a Resident in Urology and the other is an Economic Honors student at Northwestern University.
Some end of life (EOL) illnesses that may cause you to seek palliative care are:
- Metastatic Cancer
- (EOL) Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)
- (EOL) Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD)
- Renal Disease
- Advanced Alzheimer’s
- Debilitating Parkinson’s
- Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
People who are receiving this type of care are treated for:
- Depression
- Shortness of breath
- Fatigue
- Constipation
- Nausea
- Loss of appetite
- Difficulty sleeping
- Anxiety
All of which may cause distress to the patient.
“Being able to be there to empathize with my patients and help them come to terms with some of the difficult decisions they have to make is really why I chose this specialty. I get the chance to Enright their lives and they certainly enrich mine.”
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