Abc Of Palliative Care

This brand new edition pulls together the most up-to-date information on this complex, multidisciplinary area in a practical, user-friendly manner. It deals with the important social and psychological aspects for palliative care of people with incurable diseases including quality of life, communication and bereavement issues.

This brand new edition pulls together the most up-to-date information on this complex, multidisciplinary area in a practical, user-friendly manner. It deals with the important social and psychological aspects for palliative care of people with incurable diseases including quality of life, communication and bereavement issues.

This practical guide briefly covers the historical and epidemiological background of palliative care and the growth of palliative medicine as a specialty, before dealing with major physical, psychological, spiritual, and symptom management issues from diagnosis to bereavement care.

This book on the history of palliative care, 1500-1970 traces the historical roots of modern palliative care in Europe to the rise of the hospice movement in the 1960s. The author discusses largely forgotten premodern concepts like cura palliativa and euthanasia medica and describes, how patients and physicians experienced and dealt with terminal illness. He traces the origins of hospitals for incurable and dying patients and follows the long history of ethical debates on issues like truth-telling and the intentional shortening of the dying patients’ lives and the controversies they sparked between physicians and patients. An eye opener for anyone interested in the history of ethical decision making regarding terminal care of critically ill patients.

Chronic pain is a very common problem, impacting on many patients. Assessment and management can be challenging. The ABC of Pain focuses on the pain management issues often encountered in primary care. Covering major chronic pain presentations, such as musculoskeletal pain, low back pain and neuropathic pain, the ABC of Pain also provides guidance on the management of pain in pregnancy, children, older adults, drug dependency and the terminally ill. Beginning with an overview of the epidemiology of chronic pain, pain mechanisms and the assessment of pain, it then provides practical guidance on interventional procedures and methods of effective pain management. The ABC of Pain is a comprehensive, evidence-based reference. It is ideal for GPs, junior doctors, nurse specialists in primary care, palliative care specialists, and also hospital and hospice staff managing chronically and terminally ill patients.

Essentials of Palliative Care is a to-the-point, clinically oriented resource for all members of the multidisciplinary palliative care team and trainees. It covers practical clinical topics, including assessment of the patient and pain and symptom management, and practical non-medical topics central to providing effective palliative care, including psychological management, guidance on how to help patients and their families through the many healthcare decision points they face, and sensitivity to the goals and culture of the patient. Review questions, with detailed answers, provide a convenient way for readers to test their knowledge. Features: · Concise, comprehensive, clinically focused · Multiple choice review questions, with detailed answers · Expert contributors from leading institutions · Coordination of care by palliative care team a major focus