GP resources

Assessing prognosis

• Proactive identification guidance (PIG) (642kb pdf)
  Gold Standards Framework
• The interactive SPICT tool (321kb pdf)
  University of Edinburgh and CareSearch
• The PEPSI COLA Aide Memoire (128kb pdf)
  Gold Standards Framework
• Australia-modified Karnofsky Performance Scale (AKPS) (2.68MB pdf)
  palliAGED
• ECOG Performance Status Scale
  Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG)

Assessing symptoms

• Symptom Assessment Scale (SAS)
  Palliative Care Outcomes Collaboration (PCOC)
• Common clinical tools
  ELDAC
• Daily pain diary (210kb pdf)
  American Cancer Society
• Abbey Pain Scale (240kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Pain Assessment IN Advanced Dementia - PAINAD Scale (43kb pdf)
  GeriatricPain.org
• Delirium – Confusion Assessment Method (CAM)
  Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, New York University

Assessing distress

• NCCN Distress Thermometer (206kb pdf)
  National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN)
• K10 distress tool (64kb pdf)
  Black Dog Institute

Assessing family and caregivers

• Needs Assessment Tool for Carers of People with a Chronic Condition (NAT-CC) (363kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Needs Assessment Tool: Progressive Disease (NAT:PD) user guide (99kb pdf)
  Centre for Health Research & Psycho-oncology (CHeRP)
• CarerHelp toolkit
  CarerHelp

• Communication starters (162kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Communication guides (multiple topics)
  VitalTalk
• Why GPs and patients need to talk more openly about death
  The Conversation
• Prepared Model - A guide for clinicians for conversations about the last days of life (187kb pdf) Clinical Excellence Commission SHPN (CEC)
• Communicating with the patient in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

• Resources for GPs
  palliAGED
• Culturally safe, trauma-informed approach to cognitive impairment and dementia in older Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Case conference forms
  palliAGED
• Palliative care guide for GPs - caring for older people
  CareSearch
• Palliative care approach
  RACGP Silver Book
• Palliative and end-of-life care
  RACGP Silver Book
• Anticipatory care
  RACGP Silver Book
• Frailty
  RACGP Silver Book
• Multimorbidity
  RACGP Silver Book
• Deprescribing
  RACGP Silver Book
• Important information about dementia for GPs
  Dementia Australia
• Dementia
  RACGP Silver Book
• Short-term pharmacotherapy management of severe BPSD
  RACGP Silver Book
• Pain
  RACGP Silver Book
• Abbey Pain Scale (240kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Pain Assessment IN Advanced Dementia - PAINAD Scale (43kb pdf)
  GeriatricPain.org
• Pain in Residential Aged Care Facilities: Management Strategies, 2nd Edition
  Australian Pain Society

Advance care planning

• Advance care planning in general practice
  Advance Care Planning Australia
• ACP for each state and territory
  Advance Care Planning Australia
• Advance care planning (older Australians)
  RACGP Silver Book
• Advance care planning and My Health Record - Information for GPs (653kb pdf)
  RACGP
• Advance care decision making and planning
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Health professionals: roles and responsibilities
  Advance Care Planning Australia

Sharing care

• Case conference forms
  palliAGED
• Model letter template (19kb docx) to communicate a patient’s resuscitation status and treatment preferences
  HammondCare
• Collaboration and multidisciplinary team-based care
  RACGP Silver Book
• Multidisciplinary teams
  CareSearch

Planning for a home death

• CareSearchgp App
  CareSearch
• Dying at home checklist (237kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Resources to support health professionals
  caring@home
• National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List
  caring@home

• CareSearchgp App
  CareSearch
• Symptom management
  palliAGED
• Principles of symptom management in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)
• Rational prescribing in community palliative care
  Australian Prescriber
• Managing palliative care symptoms: A guide for health professionals
  caring@home

Appetite

• Nutrition and Cancer: A guide for people with cancer, their families and friends (478kb pdf)
  Cancer Council
• Clinical evidence summary on appetite problems
  CareSearch
• Gastrointestinal symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)
• Practice points on nutritional care
  palliAGED

Bowels

• Clinical evidence summary on constipation
  CareSearch
• Gastrointestinal symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Breathlessness

• Clinical evidence summary on dyspnoea
  CareSearch
• Respiratory symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Delirium

• Clinical evidence summary on delirium
  CareSearch
• Psychological symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Fatigue

• Clinical evidence summary on fatigue
  CareSearch
• Fatigue in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Nausea and vomiting

• Clinical evidence summary on nausea
  CareSearch
• Gastrointestinal symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Pain

• Abbey Pain Scale (240kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• Clinical evidence summary on pain
  CareSearch
• Daily pain diary (286kb pdf)
  American Cancer Society
• Pain
  RACGP Silver Book
• Pain Assessment IN Advanced Dementia - PAINAD Scale (43kb pdf)
  GeriatricPain.org
• Pain in palliative care patients
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)
• Pain in residential aged care facilities: Management strategies, 2nd edition
  Australian Pain Society
• Pain: management in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)
• Pain: opioid therapy in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

Sleep

• Clinical evidence summary on sleeping problems
  CareSearch
• Psychological symptoms in palliative care
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)

• HealthPathways
  ELDAC
• Rational prescribing in community palliative care
  Australian Prescriber
• Medication management reviews: Information for medical practitioners (775kb pdf)
  National Prescribing Service
• Palliative care guide for GPs
  CareSearch
• Palliative care guide for GPs - caring for rural people
  CareSearch
• Palliative care guide for GPs - families and carers
  CareSearch

Non-malignant conditions

• Deterioration in Parkinson's Disease (633kb pdf)
  Southern Metropolitan Palliative Care Consortium
• Parkinson’s Disease – Issues for the Palliative Care Team (722kb pdf)
  Southern Metropolitan Palliative Care Consortium
• Palliative care for life-limiting illnesses other than cancer
  Therapeutic Guidelines (subscription required)
• COPD guidelines: The COPD-X plan
  Lung Foundation Australia
• End-stage kidney disease: The last 12 months
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Prescribing and deprescribing in chronic kidney disease
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Motor neuron disease: The last 12 months
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Challenges in managing late-stage Parkinson’s disease: Practical approaches and pitfalls
  Australian Journal of General Practice

The deteriorating patient

• Home-based palliative care
  Australian Journal of General Practice
• Multimorbidity
  RACGP Silver Book
• Symptom management
  palliAGED

Emergencies

• Palliative care emergencies
  Gippsland Region Clinical Practice Group
• Recognising emergencies in palliative care
  Marie Curie (UK)

Medications and prescribing

• National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List
  caring@home
• Managing palliative care symptoms: A guide for health professionals
  caring@home
• palliMEDS app
  NPS MedicineWise and caring@home

Managing opioids

• Cancer pain management in adults clinical guidelines
  Cancer Council
• Opioid calculator
  Faculty of Pain Medicine
• Symptom management
  palliAGED

Syringe drivers

• Management of subcutaneous infusions in palliative care
  Queensland Health
• Guidelines for Subcutaneous Infusion Device Management in Palliative Care and other settings – 3rd Edition (4.68MB pdf)
  Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education
• PallConsult
  Queensland Government

Refractory problems

• Palliative sedation: A safety net for the relief of refractory and intolerable symptoms at the end of life
  Australian Journal of General Practice

Reimbursement

• MBS items supporting GP palliative care provision in primary care (406kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• MBS items supporting GP palliative care provision in residential aged care (318kb pdf)
  CareSearch

Voluntary assisted dying

• Voluntary assisted dying
  End of Life Law in Australia, QUT

• Checklist for a home death (237kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• CarerHelp Pathway 4: When someone is dying
  CarerHelp

End of life symptoms

• Medicines from the PBS Prescriber Bag (96kb pdf)
  CareSearch
• National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List
  caring@home
• Palliative and end-of-life care
  RACGP Silver Book
• Symptom management
  palliAGED

Coroner reportability

• ACT Coroners Office
  ACT Magistrates Court
• NSW Coroners Office
  Coroners Court of New South Wale
• NT Coroners Office
  Northern Territory Government of Australia
• Qld Coroners Office
  Queensland Courts
• SA Coroners Office
  Courts Administration Authority of South Australia
• Tas Coroners Office
  Magistrates Court of Tasmania
• Vic Coroners Office
  Coroners Court of Victoria
• WA Coroners Office
  Coroner's Court of Western Australia

• Suffering, loss and grief in palliative care (274kb pdf)
  Australian Family Physician
• Clinical practice guidelines for the psychosocial and bereavement support of family caregivers of palliative care patients (630kb pdf)
  Centre for Palliative Care (Vic)
• MyGrief app
  Grief Australia
• Supporting the bereaved
  GriefLink
• Unrecognised or disenfranchised grief
  GriefLink
• Self-care plan for family (205kb pdf)
  palliAGED
• Self-care plan for staff (161kb pdf)
  palliAGED

• Primary health care hub
  CareSearch

Ongoing education

• Health practitioner education options in palliative care
  CareSearch
• Online learning in palliative care
  palliAGED
• Formal qualification options in palliative care
  CareSearch

Self-care

• DRS4DRS
  DRS4DRS
• Self-care and mental health resources for general practitioners
  RACGP
• Self-care plan for family (205kb pdf)
  palliAGED
• Self-care plan for staff (161kb pdf)
  palliAGED