Selected items from the News and Latest Additions sections of www.palliativedrugs.com, the world’s leading palliative care website. Latest news NPC guide to prescribing specials The UK National Prescribing Centre (NPC) has produced a good practice guide to prescribing specials which includes a quick practical checklist for prescribers (appendix 2). Consultations on independent prescribing for physiotherapists […]
Latest articles
Irish GPs lack confidence in dealing with dying patients
A survey of doctors in Ireland has found that many feel they lack the skills and confidence to offer effective end-of-life care. The results of the consultation, which aimed to identify areas for improvement in palliative care, also indicated that there was a need for a better mechanism to identify people nearing the end-of-life. Ireland […]
New quality standard for end of life care in England and Wales
A document released today by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) outlines a quality standard for end of life care. Compiled by a group of experts in fields as diverse as palliative medicine, nursing and pastoral care; the standards are a set of statements which describe how the highest quality of end-of-life […]
Report highlights large geographical variation in Canadian palliative care
An expert committee on palliative and compassionate care have released a report which highlights worrying deficiencies in palliative care services in Canada. The document, entitled ‘Not to be forgotten: Care of vulnerable Canadians’ concluded that whilst some progress had been made in recent years, there were still serious shortcomings, with only 16-30% of those who […]
New study finds that UK breast cancer patients receive insufficient pain management and palliative care
A study conducted by researchers at Breast Cancer Care and the University of Southampton indicates that over a third of female breast cancer patients are in unnecessary discomfort – despite recent advances in medical management of the disease. The cross-sectional survey was carried out in two cancer centres in the UK and assessed a wide-range […]
Survey shows US doctors are strongly in favour of palliative care
A poll released this week by The National Journal and Regence Foundation found that doctors in the US are overwhelmingly supportive of palliative care interventions for seriously ill patients. Of the 500 doctors who completed the survey, 96% believed that enhancing the quality of life of seriously ill patients was more important than extending their […]
US project aims to integrate palliative care and emergency medicine
A newly launched national initiative in the US entitled Improving Palliative Care in Emergency Medicine (IPAL-EM) will promote access to palliative medicine for seriously ill patients presenting at emergency departments. The project, which was supported in part by the Centre to Advance Palliative Care, aims to increase referral rates for seriously ill patients from emergency […]
Tearfund to launch palliative care services in Zimbabwe
The relief and development agency Tearfund is to launch a palliative care initiative in Manicaland, Zimbabwe. The project, funded by the Princess of Wales Memorial Fund, will focus on training palliative care professionals in the region, improving access to pain-relieving drugs and developing referral systems. The population of Manicaland, which is located in the West […]
Does the legalisation of euthanasia affect palliative care?
A new report by the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) may challenge the notion that the legalisation of euthanasia negatively affects the growth of palliative care services. The study, which was originally requested by the Commission on Assisted Dying, compared palliative care indicators in countries with legalised euthanasia (Belgium, The Netherlands, Switzerland and Luxembourg) […]
SHORT CUTS
Articles of interest in other scholarly journals Click on the article headings to view abstracts Antagonistic effects of ondansetron and tramadol? A randomised placebo and active drug controlled study. Rauers NI, Stüber F, Lee EH, Musshoff F, Fimmers R, Barann M, Stamer UM. This postoperative randomised, double-blinded study assessed if ondansetron and tramadol had opposing […]