Topics in Palliative Care / Edition 1

by Eduardo Bruera, Russell Portenoy

Overview

The rapidly evolving field of Palliative Care focuses on the management of phenomena that produce discomfort and that undermine the quality of life of patients with incurable medical disorders. The interdisciplinary clinical purview includes those factors - physical, psychological, social, and spiritual - that contribute to suffering, undermine the quality of life, and prevent a death with comfort and dignity. Palliative Care is a fundamental part of clinical practice, the "parallel universe" to therapies directed at cure or prolongation of life. All clinicians who treat patients with chronic life threatening diseases are engaged in palliative care, continually attempting to manage complex symptomatology and functional disturbances. The scientific foundation of palliative care is advancing, and similarly, methods are needed to highlight, for practitioners at the bedside, the findings of empirical research. Topics in Palliative Care Series is divided into sections that address a range of issues. Addressing aspects of sumptom control, psyshocsoical functioning, spiritual or existential concerns, ethics, and other topics, the chapters in each section review the given area and focus on a small number of salient issues for analysis. The authors present and evaluate existing data, provide a context drawn from clinical and research settings, and integrate knowledge in a manner that is both practical and readable. The specific topics covered in Volume 5 are Cultural issues in Palliative Care, Palliative Care in Geriatrics, Communication Issues in Palliative Care, Outcomes Research in Palliative Care, Opiod Tolerance; Reality of Myth?, and Pain and other symptoms: Treatment Challenges.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780195132205
Publisher:	Oxford University Press
Publication date:	02/22/2001
Series:	Topics in Palliative Care , #5
Pages:	344
Product dimensions:	8.90(w) x 6.00(h) x 0.90(d)

About the Author

Bruera, Eduardo, MD (Grey Nuns Community Health Centre); Portenoy, Russell K., MD (Beth Israel Medical Center, New York)

Table of Contents

Section 1: Cultural Issues in Palliative Care
1. Models for the Delivery of Palliative Care: The Canadian Model, Carleen Brenneis and Eduardo Bruera
2. Models for the Delivery of Palliative Care: The Spanish Model, Marcos Gomez Sancho
3. Models for the Delivery of Palliative Care in Developing Countries, Mariela Bertolino
Section II: Palliative Care in Geriatrics
1. Palliative Care and Geriatrics: Is a Special Model of Care Needed?, R. Sean Morrison and Diane Meier
2. Truth Telling in Cancer Care: The Japanese Perspective, Yosuke Uchitomi
3. Advance Directives in Different Cultures, Akira Akabayashi and Raymond Voltz
4. Assessment of Symptoms in the Cognitively Impaired, Wendy Stein
Section IV: Outcomes Research in Palliative Care
1. Quality of Life as an Outcome in Palliative Care: What Is It and How Do We Measure It?, S. Robin Cohen
2. Economic Outcomes and Palliative Care, Laurie Lyckholm and Thomas J. Smith
3. Symptom Assessment Outcomes in Home-Based Palliative Care, Franco De Conno and Cinzia Martini
Section V: Opioid Tolerance: Reality or Myth?
1. Opioid Tolerance: Clinical Perspective, Leia Phioanh Nghiemphu and Russell K. Portenoy
2. Problems with Opioid Dose Escalation in Cancer Pain: Differential Diagnosis and Management Strategies, Sebastiano Mercadante
Section VI: Pain and Other Symptomes: Treatment Challenges
1. Dose Ratios Among Different Opioids: Underlying Issues and an Update on the Use of the Equianalgesic Table, Peter Lawlor, Jose Pereira, and Eduardo Bruera
2. Intraspinal Pain Therapy in Palliative Care, Magnus Sjberg and Narinder Rawal
3. The Diagnosis and Treatment of Delirium in the Terminally Ill, William Breitbart

Editorial Reviews

Reviewer: Lisa Stepp, PhD, RN, APN, AOCN, CRNH (Private Practice)
Description: This book in The Topics in Palliative Care series and addresses cultural issues, symptom management, and communication.
Purpose: Palliative care continues to be an evolving area of medicine. Currently, the myriad issues surrounding the management of problems that affect patients' quality of life are undergoing extensive research. The series is designed to address the need to communicate these critical findings to healthcare professionals in all disciplines. Although numerous books have been written on palliative care, there has been a void regarding comprehensive presentation of research findings on which to build practice.
Audience: This book is designed for healthcare professions involved in palliative care.
Features: The research presented has been evaluated and recommendations regarding practice are outlined. The authors and editors are leaders in the field of palliative care and bring a wealth of knowledge and experience to the subject. Perhaps one of the most interesting sections of this text reviews communication in the palliative care arena. Both legal and ethical responsibilities of the healthcare provider are addressed.
Assessment: The book is easy to read and informative. The research presented provides a strong basis to drive the continuation of current practice or, in some cases, can be used to raise current standards in palliative care.

Doody's Review Service