Palliative Care : A Case-Based Guide

A clinical case-based handbook has a role in general clinicians’ practice of caring for patients with serious or life-limiting illness. The explosion of the field of Hospice and Palliative Medicine impacts all physicians and healthcare providers. Fellowship trained s- cialists graduate in greater numbers annually. These and more seasoned specialists are now certified by the American Board of Medical Specialties as subspecialists. Research in this field is expanding in scope and quantity, and peer reviewed journals devoted to this work are multiplying. Moreover, peer reviewed journals in primary care and other subspecialties of medicine regularly include papers that focus on end-of-life care, quality of life issues, and symptom management. Overall then, access to clinical information necessary to care for patients with life-limiting illness is not only essential, but also increasingly available. This case-based clinical book aims to help with the actual practice of caring for patients with life-limiting illness. Numerous texts and journals exist to provide the data to inform care, yet there remains a need to find practical points and information about the practical application of the principles of palliative care. Thus, we hope that the cases, key points, and practical tips will help health care providers who are not experts already in palliative care in the care of patients with serious illness and challenging problems. Some chapters follow one patient through the course of an illness to highlight the applicability of palliative care throughout the disease process.

This concise book offers an engaging case-based approach to palliative care. Experts in the field provide the essential aspects of daily practice with real cases presented as forums for the discussion of the complexities and practicalities of palliative treatment.

Clearly structured, each chapter opens with bullet points highlighting the most relevant aspects of the case and points for discussion. Covering the full range of symptoms from cardiac care to pain management to wound healing, the vital elements of management are put into context through insightful dissections of history, examination, and goals of care. Each chapter concludes with a section on further reading.

Palliative Care: a Case-based Guide provides the clinician with a crucial set of skills to address the challenging issues related to communication and symptom management. Care-oriented and practical, this book is ideal for all health care professionals committed to providing quality, compassionate care to end-of-life patients.