Food for thought: Revisiting the definition of palliative care as proposed by the Societe francaise d'accompagnement et de soins palliatifs (Sfap) in 1996

Twelve years ago in 1996 the Association francaise d'accompagnement et des soins palliatifs (SFAP) proposed a definition of palliative care, since when many things have changed. Today the organisation and structure of palliative care is based on numerous statutory and legal directives, which have clarified the fundamental objectives of palliative care. Within this recent context we thought it might be interesting, 12 years on, to conduct a survey to assess the pertinence and clarity of this pioneering definition. The survey results show that the 1996 definition is a common denominator, which provides meaning for most people. While no specific reservations were expressed, it was noted that an interpretation of the definition with regards to individual perception was necessary. Nowadays in order to reach, and be better understood, by a large public, it is probable that the definition needs to be more fully explained, highlighting the important points and clarifying the less understood issues. (C) 2010 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.