Palliative Care Perspectives

Drawing from his extensive clinical experience and many years of teaching, Dr. Hallenbeck has written a guide to palliative care for clinicians. 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, this book reflects the perspectives of one physician who has dedicated his career to this rapidly evolving field. the book links real stories of illness with practical advice, thereby delineating clinical practice in a way that reflects the daily concerns of clinicians.

Drawing from his extensive clinical experience and many years of teaching, Dr. Hallenbeck has written a guide to palliative care for clinicians. 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, this book reflects the perspectives of one physician who has dedicated his career to this rapidly evolving field. the book links real stories of illness with practical advice, thereby delineating clinical practice in a way that reflects the daily concerns of clinicians.

"Over the centuries healers have been called upon to palliate, or "make better," myriad afflictions. Only in recent times has the notion arisen that our primary goal is to identify and cure diseases, thereby prolonging life and, presumably, preventing distressing symptoms and associated suffering. The medical advances made in recent decades are indeed so astonishing that one could almost forgive those who would hope that a cure-based medical system might eliminate scourges such as pain, chronic illness, and the debilitations of old age. However, we remain mortal. I recall a scene from Bernado Bertolucci's film Little Buddha in which a child sits with a wise, old monk looking out over a bustling city in Nepal. "What is impermanence?" asks the child. The monk answers, "See these people. All of us and all the people alive today. One hundred years from now we'll all be dead. That is impermanence." Intellectually, I understand the truth of this statement. However that more than 6 billion people will die in a period of 100 years is beyond my comprehension"--

Public health approaches to palliative care have been growing in policy importance and practice acceptance. This innovative volume explores the major concepts, practice examples, and practice guidelines for this new approach. The goal of ‘comprehensive care’ – seamless support for patients as they transition between home based care and inpatient services – relies on the principles of health promotion and community development both to ensure services are available and importantly appropriate for patients’ needs. In developing contexts, where hospitals and hospices may be inaccessible, a public health approach provides not only continuity of care but greater access to good end of life care. This book provides both a historical and conceptual overview whilst offering practical case examples from affluent and developing contexts, in a range of clinical settings. Finally, it draws together research-based guidelines for future practice. Essential reading for public health researchers and practitioners with an interest in end of life care and global health as well as those involved in developing palliative care provision, International Perspectives on Public Health and Palliative Care is the first volume to present an overview of theory and practice in this emerging field.

This book will be the first of its kind to offer intensive conversation analysis on patient-clinician interactions in the context of palliative medicine. The book focuses on a series of individual case studies of conversations that revolve, in each case, around one key critical term that is often evoked or understood differently by clinicians and patients.

Public health approaches to palliative care have been growing in policy importance and practice acceptance. This innovative volume explores the major concepts, practice examples, and practice guidelines for this new approach. The goal of ‘comprehensive care’ – seamless support for patients as they transition between home based care and inpatient services – relies on the principles of health promotion and community development both to ensure services are available and importantly appropriate for patients’ needs. In developing contexts, where hospitals and hospices may be inaccessible, a public health approach provides not only continuity of care but greater access to good end of life care. This book provides both a historical and conceptual overview whilst offering practical case examples from affluent and developing contexts, in a range of clinical settings. Finally, it draws together research-based guidelines for future practice. Essential reading for public health researchers and practitioners with an interest in end of life care and global health as well as those involved in developing palliative care provision, International Perspectives on Public Health and Palliative Care is the first volume to present an overview of theory and practice in this emerging field.

This book provides a new outlook on the practice of palliative care worldwide. All five continents are represented in this book by global leaders in this relatively new subspecialty. The chapters in the book re-emphasize the fact that in the 21st century, most patients in the world still lack this elementary tool to alleviate suffering physical, and even more so, emotional and spiritual which are so critical to people, especially when patients conditions become fatal. An issue that comes up again and again from almost all parts of the world, regardless of religion and traditional backgrounds, ethnicities, beliefs or faith, refers to the critical lack of basic and advanced training for physicians, nurses, volunteers and the public at large. Healthcare professionals are currently not equipped with the principles of communication with both the patient and his/her relatives. These kinds of drawbacks have to be corrected immediately. Moreover, training courses, symposia and conferences do not require large amounts of funds and can be carried out in local countries and/or regions which share a common language, culture and faith. Each country needs to create a nucleus of local champions who would then take it upon themselves to educate as many people in their own countries with the support, guidance and encouragement of international organizations that are dedicated to this mission. Almost all of the larger international institutions, e.g., the UN and WHO, preach for improvement of the current situation. Unfortunately, responses are extremely slow and not efficient. This book calls for the global health community to urgently respond and bring about a rapid change in a totally unjustified situation that still prevails in over three-quarters of the world.

Perspectives on Palliative and End-of-Life Care: Disease, Social and Cultural Contexts explores how interventions can be used to address a range of issues across social and cultural contexts for those in need of end of life care.