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This page/column contains information which may be of interest to consumers. The information is based on articles which appear in Australian Prescriber. As Australian Prescriber is written for health professionals, you should discuss any issues raised by this page/column with your doctor or pharmacist. They will be able to give a more detailed answer to your questions by reading the main article.
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Australian Prescriber Vol. 26 No. 5 2003
Palliative care
Death is not frequently discussed in developed countries. This makes it a difficult subject to talk about when someone has a serious illness. Even doctors may not want to tell patients they are dying.
With people living longer more of us will die from diseases such as heart failure or chronic bronchitis. Patients with these diseases may suffer longer than patients with cancer.
Palliative care is the support given to patients with terminal cancer. This support could also be given to people dying of other illnesses. The problem is when to start giving palliative care. Predicting when someone is going to die is difficult and it is hard to know when to stop trying to cure them.
To ensure patients do not suffer, there is a need to plan for their death. This will require patients, their relatives and doctors to overcome their reluctance to talk about death.
