The UK’s Institute for Clinical Excellence has released new guidelines which aim to standardize the use of opioids in advanced disease pain management. It is estimated that each year in the UK some 300,000 people are diagnosed with cancer and 900,000 have heart failure. As well as this, thousands live with long-term chronic conditions such […]
Category: News
The Working of an Integrated Community Palliative Care Team
Guest writers Anna MacPherson and Louise Forman of St Catherine’s Hospice, Preston, discuss the experience of working within a community palliative care team in light of recent changes to the structure of community palliative care. Community based palliative care services are growing in importance. As surveys repeatedly tell us most people want to die […]
Dialysis patients receive aggressive treatment during last month of life
A research letter published in the journal Archives of Internal Medicine has reported that patients with end stage renal disease tend to receive very aggressive treatment during their last month of life. The researchers from the University of Washington analysed data on almost 100,000 Medicare patients who were treated with dialysis, and found that during […]
“One can die, but cannot fall ill”– A Survey on how costs may affect choice of therapy in Singapore
An article by Song Chiek Quah of the National Cancer Centre in Singapore Introduction Continued advances in medical care in the recent years have given some hope to patients afflicted with diseases that, in the past, have poor prognoses. However it would seem that hope comes at a price, at least within the Singaporean context. This […]
Study finds US hospitals consistently under-perform when it comes to end-of-life cancer care
A study conducted by researchers at Dartmouth University has found that many late-stage cancer patients in the US are receiving unsatisfactory care, with healthcare facilities not fulfilling quality care guidelines. The team concluded that whilst cancer care has improved over recent years, over a quarter of outpatient oncology practices studied did not adhere to end-of-life quality […]
Rising numbers of children in England require palliative care
A new study by researchers at Leeds University has found that the number of children in England who have life-limiting conditions (LLCs) is not only much higher than previously thought but also increasing. Historically, the number of children requiring or receiving palliative care in England has been under-estimated due to the fact that there is […]
Beyond Pain Relief: Non-Pharmacological Care Activities in Palliative Care
Professionals who care for people at the end of life do much more than prescribe drugs, a new study has shown. The qualitative analysis published last month in the journal PLoS Medicine revealed that the day-to-day activities of palliative caregivers throughout Europe are highly multifaceted and complex. The study used qualitative research methods to identify […]
The deafening silence surrounding end-of-life care
Californians are not having important discussions about end-of-life preferences with doctors and loved-ones, even though they would like to. A poll conducted by the California Healthcare Foundation (CHFC) shows that a large majority of respondents would either ‘definitely’ (47%) or ‘probably’ (32%) like to speak to a doctor about their wishes for medical treatment at […]
New guidelines recommend that palliative care be integrated with standard cancer care
The American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) have published a provisional clinical opinion (PCO) which suggests that palliative care should play a larger role in standard cancer care, and that cancer patients should be offered palliative care earlier in their treatment. The PCO is based on evidence from seven recently published randomised controlled trials which […]
New feature-length film highlights “humanitarian crisis” in untreated pain
A new film by a group of award-winning Australian filmmakers aims to raise awareness of the pain suffered by millions of people each year who die without access to palliative care. LIFE Before Death, which is being released to coincide with World Cancer Day, includes footage from 11 countries around the world and highlights the […]