New Themes In Palliative Care

Published by Open University Press
Publication date: September, 1997
ISBN: 0335196055 (paperback)
ISBN: 0335196063 (hardback)

Synopsis

Books on palliative care that incorporate perspectives from policy, service development, and clinical practice are still relatively rare. Part I deals with questions of policy, ethics, and research in palliative care. Part II deals focuses on a variety of innovations in service development around the world. Part III concentrates on new thinking in clinical practice.

High-quality palliative care uses a multidisciplinary approach to integrate the efforts of a wide range of health care and social service providers. In palliative care, quality of life is the key focus. It is often the process of care which is more significant than the final outcome. The multidisciplinary focus on quality of life is central to many of the studies included in the book.

The book also has a strongly international perspective. Palliative care is still underdeveloped in many parts of the world. Several chapters deal with strategic approaches for addressing this, while respecting local cultural and ethical systems.

The book has been prepared with a student readership in mind, particularly at the higher levels of study.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments

Notes on the editors

List of contributors

Introduction

Part I: Policy, ethics, evidence

1. Assessing needs and effectiveness: is palliative care a special case?

2. Costs of palliative care

3. Resource allocation and palliative care

4. Half full or half empty? The impact of health reforms on palliative care services in the UK

Part II: Service developments

5. The evolution of the hospice approach

6. Terminal care in South Australia: historical aspects and equity issues

7. Palliative care in India

8. Palliative home care

9. A Swedish model of home care

10. Rational planning and policy implementation in palliative care

11. Palliative care in Eastern Europe

12. Is hospice a western concept? A personal view of palliative care in Asia

13. The WHO Cancer Pain and Palliative Care Programme

Part III: Clinical issues

14. Therapeutic innovations

15. Beyond cancer?

16. Teamwork in end-of-life care: a nurse - physician perspective on introducing physicians to palliative care concepts

17. Voluntary euthanasia in terminal illness

18. New approaches to care

Index