Health professionals
A - Z of services
Laboratories
Primary care management guidelines
Palliative Care Guidelines
Health education funding and scholarships
Referral information, guidelines & forms
Authorising forms
Contact us
 

Palliative Care Guidelines

Adapted from Christchurch Hospital Palliative Care Service guidelines – with thanks.

Reviewed by Waikato Hospital Palliative Care Team - March 2012

Contents

  1. Management of persistent pain in the palliative setting
    2. 1.1 Mild to moderate pain
    1.2 Opioid Therapy for severe pain
    1.3 Morphine
    1.4 Other opioids
    1.5 Prescribing of opioids
  2. Co-Analgesics
    3. 2.1 Corticosteroids
    2.2 NSAIDs
    2.3 Tricyclic antidepressants
    2.4 Anticonvulsants
    2.5 Ketamine
    2.6 Benzodiazepines
    2.7 Baclofen
    2.8 Neuroleptics
    2.9 Bisphosphonates
    2.10 Calcitonin
    2.11 Referral to other services
  3. Nausea and vomiting
    4. 3.1 First-line antiemetics
    3.2 Second-line antiemetics
  4. Constipation
    5. 4.1 Laxatives
    4.2 Enemas
    4.3 Severe constipation
  5. Intestinal obstruction
    6. 5.1 General considerations
    5.2 Medical management
  6. Dyspnoea
    7. 6.1 Morphine
    6.2 Benzodiazepines
    6.3 Steroids
    6.4 Oxygen
  7. Cough
    8. 7.1 Dry cough
    7.2 Productive cough
  8. Respiratory tract secretions

  9. Hiccoughs

  10. Dry mouth
    11. 10.1 Oral care
  11. Sweating

  12. Itch/ Pruritis

  13. Agitation

  14. Delirium

  15. Care of the imminently dying
    16. 15.1 Excessive airway secretions (death rattle)
    15.2 Terminal agitation
    15.3 LCP Algorithms
  16. Subcutaneous administration of medications
    17. 16.1 Subcutaneous bolus medications
  17. Guidelines for referral to the Palliative Care Service
    18. 17.1 Referral is appropriate when
    17.2 How the Palliative Care Team work
    17.3 Making a referral
References, resources and authors


DISCLAIMER

Every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of this text, and that the best information available has been used. This does not diminish the requirement to exercise clinical judgement, and neither the publishers nor the authors can accept responsibility for its use in practice.




Information last reviewed: March 2012
Please foward any enquiries about this document to Sandra.Haggar@waikatodhb.health.nz
Next review date: March 2014
For Palliative Care advice, please call (07) 839 8691 or the specialist on-call.


back to top
Page last updated on 19/02/2013