handbook of palliative care

Because most people wish to spend the last months of their lives in comfort and at home, surrounded by their family and friends, the provision of good palliative care is vital to achieve these goals. Accordingly, time spent on palliative care is a significant activity of primary health-care teams and professionals in hospitals.

Written especially with the GP and Primary Health Care team in mind, this book provides a comprehensive, yet practical guide to palliative care, and covers issues from clinical skills and service provision to ethical and psychosocial matters.
Additionally, a discussion of complementary therapies in palliative care and the views of patients are also provided. This book advocates a holistic approach to care based on the editors' experience of the specialist and primary-care environments, and will prove useful to a wide range of professionals and students--including doctors, nurses and pharmacists.

All patients with advanced disease, not just those with cancer, need a holistic approach to their care focusing on quality of life. The editors and authors have endeavoured to make this book relevant to as wide a patient group as possible including specific chapters on AIDS and Motor Neurone Disease.