Prescribing drugs for patients at the end of life can be fraught with difficulties. Treatment goals change and new medications are introduced that are not used regularly by GPs. A good understanding of prescribing in the palliative care setting is an essential component of delivering high-quality care to those approaching the end of life. Pertinent to general practice is the reality that GPs may experience times when they have very few ‘palliative’ patients. Conversely, there are periods when a GP may have several complex patients who require end of life care and consequently a GP may have to ‘skill up’ very rapidly.
DudgeonD. J.KristjansonL.SloanJ. A.LertzmanM.ClementK. (2001) Dyspnea in cancer patients: Prevalence and associated factor. Journal of Pain and Symptom Management21(2): 95–102. doi: 10.1016/S0885-3924(00)00258-X.
GlareP. A.DunwoodieD.WardA.YatesP.RyanS.HardyJ. R. (2008) Treatment of nausea and vomiting in terminally ill cancer patients. Drugs68(18): 2575–2590. doi: 10.2165/0003495-200868180-00004.
LarkinP. J.SykesN. P.CentenoC.EllershawJ. E.ElsnerF.EugeneB.ZuurmondW. W (2008) Management of constipation in palliative care: Clinical practice recommendations. Palliative Medicine22(7): 796–807. doi: 10.1177/0269216308096908.
7.
MitchellK.PickardJ.HerbertA.LightfootJ.RobertsD. (2012) Incidence and causes for syringe driver site reactions in palliative care: A prospective hospice-based study. Palliative Medicine26(8): 979–985. doi: 10.1177/0269216311428096.
8.
PanchalS. J.Muller-SchwefeP.WurzelmannJ. I. (2007) Opioid-induced bowel dysfunction: Prevalence, pathophysiology and burden. Internal Journal of Clinical Practice61(7): 1181–1187. doi: 10.1111/j.1742-1241.2007.01415.x.
RipamontiC. I.BandieriE.RoilaF. (2011) Management of cancer pain: ESMO clinical practice guidelines. Annals of Oncology22(6): 69–77. doi: 10.1093/annonc/mdr390.
11.
RussonL.MooneyA. (2010) Palliative and end-of-life care in advanced renal failure. Clinical Medicine10(3): 279–281. doi: 10.7861/clinmedicine.10-3-279.
