What is iPal?

Access to key information about palliative care:

  • Assess: screening tool to assess need for palliative care and symptom assessment scale and tips.
  • Manage: drugs and other therapies for common symptoms
  • Plan: aids for planning future care and decision-making
  • Communicate: make communication therapeutic by using talking tips for breaking bad news, CPR, prognosis, goals of care, end-of-life and specific situations

What is palliative care?

“Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families who are facing the problems associated with life-threatening illness, through the prevention and relief of suffering by means of early identification, impeccable assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, physical, psychosocial and spiritual” (World Health Organisation, 2005).

Benefits of palliative approach for patient

  • better symptom management and reduced suffering
  • increased understanding of illness and fewer concerns about the future
  • maximized quality of life
  • treatment consistent with patient/family goals of care

Benefits of palliative approach for clinician

  • focus of care is symptom management and improving quality of life – not disease indices
  • knowing patient/family goals of care avoids futile diagnostic/therapeutic measures, and smoother decision-making
  • greater professional satisfaction because patient/family more satisfied with care
  • reduced length of stay and health care costs

References for the app:

General
Pereira JL, Associates. The Pallium Palliative Pocketbook 2nd edition, 2011; Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care, 2nd Edition, 2010

Delirium assessment/management
Inouye SK, et al.The Confusion Assessment Method. Ann Intern Med. 1990; White J. et al. CHIMBOP J Palliat Med. 2008.

Opioids: Palliative Opioid Prescribing Tool
Gallagher R, CMAJ 2011 and the Providence Health Care Palliative Care Program

Palliative Approach Assessment Tool
Boyd K. & Murray S. British Medical Journal 2010; Weissman D., Meier D. Journal of Palliative Medicine 2011; Salpeter S. et al Am. J Medicine 2011; Salpeter S. et al J. Palliative Med. 2012; Freeman L. Curr Opin Support Pallat Care 2009; Celli R. Respiratory Medicine 2010; Crockett et al. Qual Life Res 2002; Louvet et al. Hepatology 2007; Mitchell S. et al. JAMA 2010; Fausto & Selwyn Prim. Care Clin.Off. Pract. 2011.

Plan
Girota et al NEJM 2012; Holmes et al Arch intern Med 2006

Communication
Chochinov. ABCD of Dignity Conserving Care British Medical Journal, 2007

Palliative Approach Assessment Tool; Epner & Baile Annals of Oncology 2012; Kleinman et al. Ann Intern Med. 1978

Note

This app is intended for clinical use only and should not be used by the general public.

The information contained in this app is meant to provide guidance. It should not supersede a healthcare provider’s clinical judgment.

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