Palliative Care and the "Battered Patient Syndrome"

Upon being called in (too late) an Australian palliative care provider stated:  "We can then see very clearly they have been battered and pushed around, beaten until they lose sight of what they want - they suffer what has been called the battered patient syndrome."  (Sydney Morning Herald, 2003) Another provider, more recently describes what he also calls – shockingly – "battered patient syndrome" - Once you've had five, 10, 50 tests you can become physically battered." (Sydney Morning Herald, 2010)