European views on palliative care
Franco De Conno, Ernesto Zecca, Albert Weber, Heidi Blumhuber, Isabelle Richoz, Francine Gregorio and Charles-Henri Rapin
pp 98-101
In 1992 the legalisation of euthanasia was being widely debated in Europe. The editors of the Newsletter of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) drew up a questionnaire seeking information both on this subject and on palliative care practice. Information on euthanasia was passed over to a group of experts in this field. The information relating to palliative care is described here.
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Analgesic blocks in palliative care
Sebastiano Mercadante
pp 103-106
Cancer pain can, for the most part, be well controlled with increasing doses of anti-inflammatories and opioids. However, alternative treatments may sometimes help to limit the rate of increase of the opioid dosage, particularly if the patient’s response is poor and there is an unfavourable ratio of analgesia to side-effects.
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Continuing care in a university hospital setting
Marianne Desmedt and Christian Deckers
pp 108-111
Palliative care is directed towards patients with a disease that is active, progressive and at an advanced stage, and who have a poor short-term prognosis. Emphasis is placed on the care of the whole patient, on the quality of that care and on the patient’s quality of life. In 1985, the St Luc University Clinics set up a Department of Continuing Care, with a structure and way of working unique in Belgium. Located at the point where these three structures intersect, the department’s main aim is to promote continuity of care for the terminally ill patient.
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Self-help group support for parents
Joanna Heslop
pp 112-114
The diagnosis of childhood cancer is always devastating for a parent. Whether it comes out of the blue or follows a struggle for recognition that something is seriously wrong, the immediate reaction is, almost without exception, one of horror and disbelief. The first question that springs to mind is: ‘Does this mean that my child will die?’
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Psychological needs and care in the hospice setting
Maggie Fisher
pp 115-119
Extensive literature exists on the experience of adjusting to dying, much of it focusing on observational studies of dying people’s responses to terminal illness. The provision of psychological care is viewed as a core component of the hospice approach. However, no studies have explored terminally ill patients’ perceptions of their psychological needs and care.
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Art therapy and practice in palliative care
Gill Thomas and Jacqueline Kennedy
pp 120-123
Art therapists have been working with cancer patients and in the field of palliative care since the 1980s, and are to be found in growing numbers in hospitals and hospices all around the UK.
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Symptom management in transcultural nursing
Jane MacLeod
pp 124-126
Culture has a powerful impact on perceptions of health and illness generally, influencing the appropriateness and effectiveness of nursing care. Each culture has its own ‘language of distress’. This language can be understood in terms of ‘illness behaviour’ – when symptoms are experienced they are differentially perceived, evaluated and acted upon depending on the culture of the individual.
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Cultural issues in palliative care
Annie O'Neill
pp 127-131
The multi-ethnic composition of cities such as London, Birmingham and Bradford is well known, but many other towns and cities in the UK have ethnically diverse populations. The objectives of this article are to provide some terms of reference in relation to cultural issues in palliative care, and to understand the importance of culture, ethnicity, race, racism and religion to the individual, his family and his carers within the palliative care setting.
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