Managing symptoms is core business for palliative care. Nurses have a role to play in helping to achieve the best symptom control and optimum quality of life for patients.
Working with patients often on a daily basis, nurses are best placed to assess and monitor pain and symptoms and advocate for patients in regards to their care and management. Many services use
pain assessment tools or the
SAS (Symptom Assessment Scale) in their practice which facilitates tracking of symptoms from the patients perspective.
It is also important to recognise that not all symptoms will be physical, but could be psychological, social or spiritual, or have psychological, social or spiritual components.
Resources
- Therapeutic Guidelines - Palliative care (version 3, 2010) are available in some organisations or can be purchased
- The National Institute of Clinical Studies has a Clinical Practice Guidelines Portal developed to help clinicians and policy-makers access Australian evidence-based clinical practice guidelines through a single entry point
- National Breast and Ovarian Cancer Centre has Clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial care of adults with cancer
- The Canadian Virtual Hospice has information on Assessment tools and Clinical Practice Guidelines on symptoms
- NHS Evidence - Supportive and Palliative Care (UK) has information on symptom management
- The US National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative care has produced a document: Clinical Practice Guidelines for Quality Palliative Care, Second Edition 2009
- The National Health Service (NHS) (UK) National End of Life Care Programme has a document on: Holistic common assessment of supportive and palliative care needs for adults requiring end of life care
- Current Learning in Palliative Care (CLIP) 15 minute online tutorials are available on the following: Constipation/ Fatigue, lethargy, drowsiness and weakness / Breathlessness / Oral Problems / Nausea and Vomiting / Bowel Obstruction / Oedema / Lymphoedema / Confusion
- End of Life care For All (e-ELCA) is an e-learning resource from the NHS (UK) designed to enhance the training and education of all those involved in delivering end-of-life care. They have sessions on assessment and on symptoms
- McKenzie DK, Abramson M, Crockett AJ, Glasgow N, Jenkins S, McDonald C et al on behalf of The Australian Lung Foundation have developed The COPD-X Plan: Australian and New Zealand Guidelines for the management of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease 2010.
- The European Association for Palliative Care has Clinical documents available, including some on symptoms such as pain and fatigue.
Related CareSearch Pages
Clinical Practice
GP Pages
CNIN Information Sheets
Free Full Text Article
References
- Slåtten K, Fagerström L, Hatlevik OE. Clinical competence in palliative nursing in Norway: the importance of good care routines. Int J Palliat Nurs. 2010 Feb;16(2):79, 81-6.
- Greaves J, Glare P, Kristjnson LJ, Stockler M, Tattersall MH. Undertreatment of nausea and other symptoms in hospitalized cancer patients. Support Care Cancer, 2009 Apr;17(4):461-4. Epub 2008 Oct 18.
- Qaseem A, Snow V, Shekelle P, Casey DE Jr, Cross JT Jr, Owens DK; Clinical Efficacy Assessment Subcommittee of the American College of Physicians, Dallas P, Dolan NC, Forciea MA, Halasyamani L, Hopkins RH Jr, Shekelle P. Evidence-based interventions to improve the palliative care of pain, dyspnea, and depression at the end of life: a clinical practice guideline from the American College of Physicians. Ann Intern Med. 2008 Jan 15;148(2):141-6.
- Xue Y, Schulman-Green D, Czaplinski C, Harris D, McCorkle R. Pain attitudes and knowledge among RNs, pharmacists, and physicians on an inpatient oncology service. Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2007 Oct;11(5):687-95.
- Horton R. Differences in assessment of symptoms and quality of life between patients with advanced cancer and their specialist palliative care nurses in a home care setting. Palliat Med. 2002 Nov;16(6):488-94.
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This page was created on 27 August 2010
Last updated 27 August 2010*