Phenobarbital is a barbiturate medication used clinically for over 100 years for the treatment of seizures, for anaesthesia and more recently for palliative sedation.1 Its primary mechanism of action ...

Best research evidence. Furosemide is unlicensed for SC use. However, the diuretic effect of this mode of administration has been demonstrated in a randomised placebo controlled trial of 12 healthy ...

Objectives To investigate the efficacy and safety of short subcutaneous infusions (SSCIs) for refractory symptoms in the palliative setting. Methods A retrospective chart review of SSCIs in a single ...

Introduction Frail older people are known to have low rates of advance care planning (ACP). Many frail patients prefer less aggressive treatment, but these preferences are often not known or respected ...

Persistent hiccups are a frustrating experience for palliative care patients, and can have a profound impact on their quality of life. This article provides an evidence-based approach overview of the ...

Objectives Assisted dying has been legally available in Oregon in the USA for 25 years, since when official reports have been published each year detailing the number of people who have used this ...

Background Palliative sedation for existential suffering (PS-ES) is a controversial clinical intervention. Empirical studies about physicians’ perceptions do not converge in a clear position and ...

Background Palliative care providers serving Chinese patients lack a culture-specific model of communication, a strong evidence base for this and clear guidance on its application. Thus, providers ...

Background Early identification of approaching end-of-life and care planning improve outcomes at the end of life. Nevertheless, the majority of people who die are not identified in time to enable ...

As the number of older people increases across the world, and more people approach the end of their lives with chronic and complex conditions, the need for robust and relevant research in palliative ...

Palliative care, since its inception over 60 years ago, has set the standard of how to care for people who are dying. Key features among these standards have been the professional development of ...

Conclusion The very nature of palliative care means that as initial STAS scores are reduced, new and often more complex problems develop. However, results clearly demonstrate that our telephone triage ...