Palliative Care

Palliative Care Consultations in Head and Neck Cancer

Sara Booth, Andrew Davies (eds)

This is the fifth book in an international, multi-contributed series aimed at providing practical, clinical guidance on how to deal with difficult symptoms related to specific cancer ... More

This is the fifth book in an international, multi-contributed series aimed at providing practical, clinical guidance on how to deal with difficult symptoms related to specific cancer sites. In it, the editors bring together palliative care and oncological treatment for patients with head and neck cancer. Head and neck cancer is one of the most frightening and distressing cancers for patients and their families as it affects appearance, the ability to speak, and the ability to eat. Pain, which is difficult to treat, infection, and disfiguring surgery with wounds that often do not heal, are common accompaniments of advanced disease. In addition, psychological distress, loneliness, and isolation are often experienced by patients. Head and neck cancer is not that common but, when it does occur, it very often needs specialist help from palliative care and hospice clinicians. There is little written on this subject and this book provides a practical guide that draws together all the information in an easily accessible format. The Palliative Care Consultations series is primarily aimed at those individuals working in an acute hospital cancer centre and/or tertiary referral centre. The books are designed to give the busy clinician advice on clinical problems, both those rarely encountered and those that are very common but difficult. Less

Palliative Care Consultations in Primary and Metastatic Brain Tumours

David Oliver

Sara Booth, Eduardo Bruera (eds)

This is the third book in an international, multi-contributed series aimed at providing practical clinical guidance on how to deal with difficult symptoms related to specific cancer ... More

This is the third book in an international, multi-contributed series aimed at providing practical clinical guidance on how to deal with difficult symptoms related to specific cancer sites. There are few more distressing problems for patients and families than the development of a primary or secondary brain tumour. Treatment is often palliative, though intensive, from the start. Little firm evidence exists to guide the physician in caring for patients with seizures refractory to standard treatment. Most of the work is based on case reports or personal experience. The book draws the information together in an accessible form so that it can be read and referred to on the ward, or before a domiciliary visit. Specialists in palliative care and oncology settings, working in the acute sector and in hospices, will find this book useful. It will also appeal to consultants as well as specialist registrars, clinical nurse specialists, and nurse practitioners in palliative care, oncology, and neurology. Less

Palliative Care Ethics: A Companion for All Specialties

Fiona Randall, Robin Downie

A book for nurses, doctors, and all who provide end-of-life care, this volume guides readers through the ethical complexities of such care, including policy initiatives, and encourages ... More

A book for nurses, doctors, and all who provide end-of-life care, this volume guides readers through the ethical complexities of such care, including policy initiatives, and encourages debate and discussion on their controversial aspects. Divided into two parts, it introduces and explains clinical decision-making processes about which there is broad consensus, in line with guidance documents issued by the WHO, the BMA, the GMC, and similar bodies. The changing political and social context, where ‘patient choice’ has become a central idea, and the broadened scope of patients' best interests have added to the complexity of decision making in end-of-life care. The authors discuss issues widely encountered by GPs, nurses, and hospital clinicians, which include patient choice; consent; life-prolonging treatment; and symptom relief, including sedation. Part Two explores the more controversial current end-of-life care initiatives, such as advance care planning, preferred place of care and death, euthanasia and assisted suicide, extended ideas of ‘best interests’, and the view that there are therapeutic duties to the relatives of patients. Throughout their discussion the authors draw attention to loose ends and contradictions in some of the proposals. Examining the current policy of consumerist choice, they reject its place in the health service, proposing a realistic, fair, humane and widely adoptable system of end-of-life care. Less

Palliative Care for Non-cancer Patients

Julia Addington-Hall, Irene Higginson (eds)

The specialty of palliative care has traditionally grown out of oncology and there has been little research into the needs of patients dying from causes other than cancer. Few non-cancer ... More

The specialty of palliative care has traditionally grown out of oncology and there has been little research into the needs of patients dying from causes other than cancer. Few non-cancer patients receive hospice in-patient, home care, or day care although a good proportion of hospices say that their services are available to non-cancer patients. As a result, the importance of palliative care for non-cancer patients is now being increasingly recognized internationally, and in the UK a committee reporting to the Department of Health recommended that palliative care should be accessible to all patients who need such care. This book considers the needs and experiences of patients dying from, for example, stroke, heart disease, or dementia by drawing on a range of disciplines and specialties in medicine. The provision of palliative care for patients dying from causes other than cancer raises a number of important questions for policy makers and purchasers. This book summarizes what is known about the needs of and appropriate service provision for people dying of causes other than cancer and begins to set a research agenda. Less

Palliative Care in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: From diagnosis to bereavement

David Oliver, Gian Domenico Borasio, Declan Walsh (eds)

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or motor neurone disease) is a rare disease but one that can cause profound suffering for both the patient and their family. Whilst new treatments for ALS ... More

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (or motor neurone disease) is a rare disease but one that can cause profound suffering for both the patient and their family. Whilst new treatments for ALS are being developed, these are not curative and offer only the potential to slow its progression. Palliative care must therefore be integral to the clinical approach to the disease. This book reflects the wide scope of this care; it must cover not just the terminal phase, but support the patient and their family from the onset of the disease. Both the multidisciplinary palliative care team and the neurology team are essential in providing a high standard of care and allowing quality of life (both patient and carer) to be maintained. Clear guidelines are provided to address care throughout the disease process. Control of symptoms is covered alongside the psychosocial care of patients and their families, culminating in discussion of bereavement. The experience of patients and families is considered and case studies are provided to show the practical application of the theoretical knowledge. Different models of care are explored, and this second edition of the text utilises the increase in both the evidence-base and available literature on the subject. Additional chapters on nursing, spiritual care, decision making, and ethical issues surrounding end of life care are included in this edition. Less

Palliative care in the acute hospital setting: A practical guide

Sara Booth, Polly Edmonds, Margaret Kendall

Hospital palliative care teams have been established in rapidly increasing numbers over the last twenty, as it has been recognised that hospices can never transfer the philosophy and ... More

Hospital palliative care teams have been established in rapidly increasing numbers over the last twenty, as it has been recognised that hospices can never transfer the philosophy and practice of palliative care into the acute sector by simply existing; they often work as ‘stand alone units’ and remain outside mainstream medicine. However it has become apparent that improving access to palliative care for patients in acute hospitals is not as easy as employing external palliative care specialists as consultants. Even setting up a team of professionals who work solely in a hospital will often not improve the care of the great majority of patients being treated there. Based on the experience and knowledge of three clinicians in the area who have developed palliative care services in acute settings, this book provides those facing the same challenges with guidance and advice on a range of problems they might encounter. Using a problem focused and practical approach, this guide is filled with case-based problems to help with the identification of realistic, usable, everyday solutions. It also covers the skills and knowledge needed to help teams make progress in the hospital as well as outlining the best training to help professionals continue to flourish. Less

Palliative Care in the Home

Derek Doyle, David Jeffrey

Most people with far-advanced illness wish to be cared for at home for as long as possible. The challenge of providing good palliative care at home is therefore of major importance for ... More

Most people with far-advanced illness wish to be cared for at home for as long as possible. The challenge of providing good palliative care at home is therefore of major importance for family doctors, nurses, and all those committed to maintaining the highest possible quality of life for the dying person. As modern specialist palliative care has raised both standards of care and also public expectations of family doctors and community nurses, this book helps to place specialist care in context. As palliative care is a major responsibility for teams providing care at home, the book provides a definitive guide on how to provide effective care for people with far-advanced disease. It has been written by two palliative specialists, both of whom have been family doctors. The book deals with all the physical, emotional, spiritual, and social problems that will be encountered by family doctors and community nurses caring for patients and relatives in a home setting. It deals in detail with emergencies, communications, and ethical issues, and emphasises throughout the importance of team work. Less

Palliative Care Perspectives

James L. Hallenbeck

Drawing from his extensive clinical experience and many years of teaching, the author of this book has written a guide to palliative care for clinicians. The topics addressed range from ... More

Drawing from his extensive clinical experience and many years of teaching, the author of this book has written a guide to palliative care for clinicians. The topics addressed range from an overview of death and dying to specific approaches to symptom management. As an introduction to both the art and science of palliative care, the book reflects the perspectives of one physician who has dedicated his career to this rapidly evolving field. It links real stories of illness with practical advice, thereby delineating clinical practice in a way that reflects the daily concerns of clinicians. Less

Palliative Day Care in Practice

Julie Hearn, Kathryn Myers (eds)

Day care for people with advanced diseases is one of the most rapidly expanding components of palliative care in the UK, and is increasingly a focus of new-service development throughout ... More

Day care for people with advanced diseases is one of the most rapidly expanding components of palliative care in the UK, and is increasingly a focus of new-service development throughout the world. Many benefits, in terms of quality of life, holistic care for the patient and family and increased time at home are claimed by day care. This book provides a comprehensive overview of the current philosophy, patterns, and policies of palliative day care. It places emphasis on the need to evaluate performance in palliative day care and describes in detail aspects such as audit, health economics, and research, and their associated problems and pitfalls. For readers new to the field it aims to survey the broad concepts and components of palliative day care and the philosophies and practical issues that relate to them. For those more experienced in the field, it seeks to highlight some of the questions, challenges, and dilemmas that palliative day care services face and which will need to be addressed in the years ahead. Less

Palliative Medicine: A case-based manual

Doreen Oneschuk, Neil Hagen, Neil MacDonald (eds)

Palliative care is now an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Medical education across the board is adopting a case-based approach. This book uses a series of cases to ... More

Palliative care is now an integral part of the undergraduate medical curriculum. Medical education across the board is adopting a case-based approach. This book uses a series of cases to illustrate critical points in palliative medicine. The case-studies have been carefully chosen to reflect real life clinical practice. The chapters illustrate, through the case studies, the desired skills, attitudes, and knowledge required in this field of medicine. Since publication of the second edition, many approaches to palliative care have been further refined and developed. Ongoing research has led to the improved use of existing medications, and the development of several new treatments. More is known about the psychosocial existential distress experienced by patients and their families resulting in an improved understanding by health care providers of how best to approach and assist those affected by advanced illness, and more is known about methadone and other medications with emerging uses. The third edition of this book continues to offer a panoramic view of palliative care. It introduces a number of new topics including neurological disorders, the last days, and palliative sedation. Less