Palliative care management of Creutzfeld­-Jakob disease

There  is a  limited amount  of  published  literature around the issues faced by patients and families suffering Creutzfeld-Jakob disease (CJD). This is mainly due to the small number of CJD patients seen every year internationally. Wantirna Health Palliative Care Unit (WHPCU) is in a unique position to study a number of CJD patients retrospectively, as it has managed a high number (10-15) of these patients since opening in 2008. This retrospective audit aims to review symptoms and stressors experienced by patients and families with CJD during their terminal period at Wantirna Health. We hope to elucidate the successful and unsuccessful pharmacological treatments administered to manage the unusual symptoms during this time. Our review aims to provide quality assurance of the service provided at WHPCU, identify successful management and problem issues of the service provided. We aim to publish this audit to increase the body of research on this subject and to provide guidance for other centres in which CJD is seldom seen.