Symptom Management Resources / Symptom Management / Clinical Care / Nurses / Health Professionals

Resources for symptom management

For an introduction to symptom management in palliative care for older people, do the palliAGED Introductory Module: Symptom Management.
Here you can watch a selection of videos by the Agency for Clinical Innovation:

Dawn Hooper, Clinical Nurse Consultant, discusses Practical caring issues in palliative care
Dr Elspeth Correy discusses Clinical issues in end-of-life dementia care with a focus on decision-making.

To learn more about assessing and managing symptoms, the PCC4U module can help you to develop the knowledge and skills required to identify the health needs of people affected by life-limiting illness
Marie Curie (UK) has resources for health professionals to understand, assess and manage 24 symptoms in pallaitive care.
St. Oswald's Hospice have Current Learning in Palliative Care (CLIP) 15 minute online tutorials that includes information for individual symptoms.
Therapeutic Guidelines - Palliative care (version 4, 2016) are available in some organisations or can be purchased.
The US National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative care has produced a document: Clinical practice guidelines for quality palliative care, 4th edition.
Canadian Virtual Hospice provides comprehensive information on 17 symptoms and health concerns (for patients, families, and carers).
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help patients, families, and carers understand and manage several symptoms.

Here you can watch two videos from the Agency for Clinical Innovation:
- Dr Jan Maree Davis discusses Cachexia and anaemia: what action is needed?
- Melissa Scattergood talks about the role of a dietitian and the aim of nutritional management in palliative care.
For practical guidance read Anorexia/Cachexia from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
In this video Debbie Provan describes the eating problems that can be caused by cancer and its treatment and gives tips for managing them.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to eating and drinking problems (for patients, families, and carers).
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Lack of Appetite and Loss of Weight (for patients, families, and carers).
Oral health is an important part of eating and overall health and wellbeing. Explore the free, self-paced oral health care training modules form SA Dental for:

The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Constipation in palliative care and Continence care in palliative care.
The Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines provide practical guidance for:

This article could help you with Assessing for dehydration in adults (not specific to palliative care).
This video can help you with Abdominal Assessment for Nursing (not specific to palliative care).
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Bladder and bowel problems (for patients, families, and carers).
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Constipation (for patients, families, and carers)
CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including constipation and incontinence (for carers).

From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to an overview of delirium and depression in advanced illness presented by Dr Meera Agar.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Delirium.
For practical guidance read Delirium from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
Read about the Delirium Clinical Care Standard from Australian Commission on Safety and Quality.
For tips on prevention and management of delirium read the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality fact sheet on Delirium (for clinicians and health system managers).
Read the Q&A sheet from Dementia Australia about what delirium is, and, how it relates to people with dementia (for nurses, families, and carers).
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Confusion caused by delirium (for families and carers).
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with delirium when you have a terminal illness (for families and carers).
Australasian Delirium Association hosts information on delirium for families and carers.

Read the article by Booth and Johnson (2019) for a comprehensive overview of severe breathlessness - causes, assessment, management.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Breathlessness.
For practical guidance read Breathlessness from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with breathlessness when you have a terminal illness (for patients, families, and carers).
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Shortness of breath (for patients, families, and carers).
CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including breathing changes (for carers).

The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Fatigue.
Read Fatigue in palliative care patients -- an EAPC approach.
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Fatigue (for patients, families, and carers).
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Fatigue (for patients, families, and carers)
CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including fatigue (for carers).

Macmillan Cancer Support offer information on Ulcerating cancer wounds which gives practical information for managing this type of wound.
The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin Fast Facts and Concepts page #46 Malignant Wounds provides advice about managing the wound and related complications.
The European Oncology Nursing Society provide Recommendations for the care of patients with malignant fungating wounds (2015) (600kb pdf).
Cancer Research (UK) provides Information on Ulcerating cancers / Fungating wounds (for patients, families, and carers).
This articles from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Malignant Wounds (for patients, families, and carers).

From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to Dr Bridget Johnson talk about Managing nausea and vomiting.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Nausea and vomiting.
For practical guidance read Nausea and Vomiting from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin offers Fast Facts and Concepts sheet #05 centres around Nausea and Vomiting: Common Etiologies and Management.
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses nausea and vomiting (for patients, families, and carers).
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Feeling sick and vomiting (for patients, families, and carers).

The CareSearch Evidence in Focus Pain management outlines the latest evidence on assessing and managing pain, and resources that support best practice.
Here you can watch a selection of videos by the Agency for Clinical Innovation:

Nurse Practitioner, Dr Robyn Keall gives a detailed overview of pain in palliative care
Dr Melanie Lovell discusses how to assess and manage cancer pain
Dr Melanie Lovell talks about managing neuropathic pain
Peter Cleasby discusses non-verbal pain assessment, the assessment and different strategies.

In this Canadian Virtual Hospice video, Dr Paul Daeninck explores pain assessment and management in ways that are specific to the person, involving them and their family. Other videos are available.
Marie Curie (UK) provides information and practice tips relating to pain management in palliative care.
For practical guidance read Pain from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
For guidance and resources relating to pain in residents see the APS management strategies for residential aged care.
Read The Conversation articles on:

Explore online learning options in CareSearch eLearning: Pain Management.
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Pain (for patients, families, and carers).
Managing pain - a guide for people living with a terminal illness is available in booklet form or as a PDF from Marie Curie (UK) (for patients, families, and carers).

For an overview of skin breakdown and skin changes related to the dying process, read the article Skin failure in patients with a terminal illness.
Skin Changes at Life’s End (SCALE 867kb pdf) is a consensus statement developed to help clinicians’ knowledge and skills in skin care for people at the end of life.
The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin Fast Facts and Concepts page #41 Pressure Ulcers: Debridement and Dressings provides advice about cleaning and dressing pressure ulcers.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Pressure ulcers.
The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has put pressure ulcer prevention and care into a catchy song.
Wounds Australia host a series of guidelines and clinical practice guides for wound prevention and treatment.
Wounds International has published Best practice recommendations for holistic strategies to promote and maintain skin integrity.
Read this UpToDate article to learn about pruritis (itch) in palliative care.
This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses preventive skin care and preventing pressure ulcers (for patients, families, and carers).

From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to Dr Sarah Thompson talk about Anxiety and sleep disturbances.
The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Sleep problems in palliative care.
In this video, Dr. Christine Newman explains how children who are dying are scared of falling asleep because they think that they will not wake up again.
This article from the Sleep Foundation discusses grief and its effect on sleep.
These articles from Canadian Virtual Hospice discuss Sleep Disturbance (for patients) and sleep disturbance and caregivers (for carers).
In this video Grieving at Nighttime, counsellor Dr. Ajita Robinson discusses bedtime routines and rhythms that can help with rest and coping with a loss or death (for the bereaved).

Last updated 09 October 2023

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Symptom management resources

Resources for symptom management

Symptom management

Appetite and weight loss

Bowel problems

Delirium

Dyspnoea

Fatigue

Malignant wounds

Nausea and vomiting

Pain

Skin changes, skin failure, pressure injuries

Sleep disturbances