Volume 15, Number 1
 

Diversity in palliative care between the UK and Germany

An increasing number of doctors from Germany come to the UK to learn about palliative care. However, using that experience once they return home is not always easy, as Eva Katharina Herrmann and Claudia Bausewein know only too well

End-of-life care for Muslims and Christians in Lebanon

Jouhayna Bejjani-Gebara, Hera Tashjian and Huda Abu-Saad Huijer talked to leaders of Lebanon's six main religious sects to find out about end-of-life beliefs and practices, and the part these must play in the country's healthcare delivery

Equity of access

'Equity of access' has become a popular slogan of many governments concerning the healthcare sector. When such equity of access is applied to palliative care, it is worth examining the phrase in greater detail. This first issue of the European Journal of Palliative Care in 2008 is an attempt to do that in several ways.

Is specialist palliative care social work being neglected?

The first UK project to look at what service users think of specialist palliative care social work reveals some worrying facts about how and when the service is provided, and to whom, say Peter Beresford, Suzy Croft and Lesley Adshead

Making it real: advances in palliative care in Africa

Lukas Radbruch and Anke Brunsch-Radbruch report from the 2nd African Palliative Care Association (APCA) conference held last September in Nairobi

Making sense of end-of-life distress

The majority of palliative care patients suffer from emotional distress. It is as important to their quality of life to reduce this stress, as it is to treat their physical symptoms, say Chitra Venkateswaran, Manoj Kumar, Parvez Thekkumpurath and Michael Bennett

Pain and the use of opioids in treating elderly patients

Limited data on long-term opioid use, and the pathophysiological changes that occur with age, present clinicians with a challenge when treating the elderly, says Natasha Michael

Paracetamol allergy in a patient with advanced cancer

An accurate case assessment and consistency of care are essential when dealing with any patient who will be seen by multiple teams. Sue Morgan and Helen Walsh discuss the case of a man whose unusual allergy highlighted this only too well

The case study masterclass: Case 36. A complex patient with a thymoma and severe paraneoplastic cerebellar syndrome

A 61-year-old woman with a long-standing diagnosis of carcinoma of the thymus and a rapid onset of neurological weakness on a background of presumed paraneoplastic cerebellar syndrome is admitted. The hospital palliative care team (HPCT) receives a referral from the oncology team requesting advice on symptom control for the patient and support for her husband and family.

Using the concept of speed dating in research into illness

It is hard to involve patients and health professionals in research around incurable illness. Elizabeth Lank, Alison Donaldson and Jane Maher believe a novel approach could help