New York has passed a new bill which outlines in simple terms the specific standards for doctors and nurse practitioners caring for terminally ill patients. The Palliative Care Information Act (PCIA) states that when a disease has advanced to the terminal stage and a patient is unlikely to survive six months, doctors must offer to […]
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Palliative care more readily available to US patients than ever before
A report released by the Center to Advance Palliative Care, in conjunction with the National Palliative Care Research Center (NPCRC), shows promising growth in palliative care services in US hospitals. The analysis confirmed that hospital-based palliative care teams have doubled since 2000 and now as many as 63 percent of US hospitals (with more than […]
NICE consults on draft quality standard on end of life care
NICE is developing Quality Standards – a set of qualitative statements and quantitative measurements that act as a final distillation of clinical best practice – and is now requesting comments on 20 quality statements on end of life care. The aim of the standards is to clarify what high quality care looks like in relation to […]
Andrew Lansley announced as keynote speaker at ‘Widening Horizons’ conference
Secretary of state for health, Andrew Lansley, will deliver the keynote address at the Help the Hospices conference ‘Widening Horizons’ on 26 September 2011. Andrew Lansley’s appearance comes at a pivotal time for the sector, and acknowledges both his support and recognition of the hospice sector to date. To register, or for more information about […]
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Give me the pills she said – promise when I want to you’ll help me take them all. I don’t want to shit in my chair, feel worthless, I want to choose with whom, how and when I fall. Give me the drugs he said, I’ll take any chance with science – if my skin […]
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Articles of interest in other scholarly journals Click on the article headings to view the abstracts A systematic review of combination step III opioid therapy in cancer pain: An EPCRC opioid guideline project Fallon MT, Laird BJ. Palliat Med 2011; 25 (5): 597-603 As the use of combinations of opioids is a common clinical practice […]
Call for applications: ‘The Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care’ course
The MA/PG Dip, The Ethics of Cancer and Palliative Care, is a well established course, the only one of its kind within the UK, having run successfully for the past 20 years. Open to all healthcare professionals it aims to deepen participants’ understanding of healthcare ethics in the fields related to cancer and palliative care. […]
News and updates from www.palliativedrugs.com
Selected items from the News and Latest Additions sections of www.palliativedrugs.com , the world’s leading palliative care website. Drug Updates Clarifying dexamethasone prescribing The British National Formulary now recommends prescribing of dexamethasone injection as dexamethasone base. This follows recent changes to the labeling of both UK dexamethasone injection products (Organon product, 2003 and Hospira product […]
Launch of Palliative Care Funding Review could result in a fairer funding system for end of life care
An independent Palliative Care Funding Review released today recommends to the Government the introduction of the first ever palliative care funding structure in England, which could save the NHS up to £180 million per year and result in better care for patients at the end of life. The Review found that of the 457,000 people […]
Des Spence asks, are we in denial?
Des Spence, in his BMJ ‘From the Frontline’ piece, asks the question, “Assisted dying: are doctors in denial?” It turns out that, rather than being for or against legalisation of physician assisted suicide, Des suggests a third, pragmatic position. He suggests that doctors routinely withhold treatment and shorten patients’ lives with the use of large […]