Volume 15, Number 4
 

A case of life-threatening dermatological emergency

Nicholas Herodotou, Mandy Barnett, Elaine Riley and Kay Hill discuss the case of a patient with a primary brain tumour who developed drug-induced toxic epidermal necrolysis

Book review: The common sense guide to improving palliative care

I found this book a very interesting read, as the concept of quality improvement (QI) was relatively new to me. QI seeks to identify shortfalls in healthcare services, sets specific aims to address these, implements changes and measures outcomes to ensure improvements are occurring. The authors give a detailed description of the process and advocate the rapid cycle approach, which aims to see measurable, sustainable improvements within weeks to a few months.

Caution – risk of learning! A report from Trondheim

The 5th Research Forum of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) took place 29–31 May 2008 in Trondheim, Norway. Alexander Nicholson, a Consultant in Middlesbrough, shares his first impressions with us.

Clinical supervision can benefit palliative care

Understanding the psychological consequences of serious illness, including how they affect not only the sufferer and family members but also the professionals who provide care and treatment, is of critical importance to the safety and quality of healthcare provision.

Ensure quality public health programmes: a Spanish model

In the second of a two-part series, Xavier Gómez-Batiste, Frank Ferris, Silvia Paz, Jose Espinosa, Josep Porta-Sales, Jan Stjernswärd and Joaquim Esperalba look at a pragmatic approach to improving the quality of palliative care public health programmes

How are the carers being cared for? A review of the literature

Vanessa Convey, Jill Ede and Tanya Sealey undertook a review of the literature to see what information and support was available to, and needed by, those people caring for terminally ill or palliative care patients. Their main finding was that co-ordination is vital

Is the WHO analgesic ladder active or archaic?

The simple, three-step WHO analgesic ladder has been around for more than 20 years. Is it time to replace it with a more sophisticated system, or does it still have an essential part to play in pain relief? Jane C Mair considers the arguments for and against change

Methods for assessing physical functioning in cancer patients

Guro Birgitte Stene, Stein Kaasa and Jorunn Helbostad stress the importance of assessing patients’ physical function, and discuss current tools and potential new ones

Palliative care in Europe: experiences and the future

Lukas Radbruch, President of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC), looks at what needs to be done to set up common goals and norms for palliative care in Europe

Practices in paediatric palliative care in Lebanon

Huda Abu-Saad Huijer, Sarah Abboud and Hani Dimassi report on a study to determine knowledge about, attitudes to and practices in paediatric palliative care among doctors and nurses in Lebanon

Resuscitation: knowing whether it is right or wrong

Madeline Bass discusses resuscitation and asks if the recently revised guidelines will make it easier for clinicians to decide when to use it and when to allow a patient to die

The case study masterclass: Case 39. Facing an ethical dilemma in a patient with head and neck cancer

Harry Ford is a 59-year-old man who was diagnosed four years ago with a malignant tumour of the salivary gland with lymph node involvement. He underwent extensive maxillofacial surgery, followed by adjuvant radiotherapy and chemotherapy. A few months ago he had more surgery for local recurrence. He has recently been found to have further recurrence that is invasive and beyond cure.