What is iPalapp.com?

Doctor with smartphone

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 Organization, 2005).

Benefits of palliative approach

for the patient:

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

for the clinician:

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

References for the website

General

  • Pereira JL, Associates. The Pallium Palliative E-Book, 2020; Pallium Canada
    https://www.pallium.ca/mobile-app-pocketbook/
  • British Columbia Centre for Palliative Care: Symptom Management Guidelines
    https://www.bc-cpc.ca/publications/symptom-management-guidelines/
  • Top Ten Tips series of articles in Journal of Palliative Medicine
  • Henson LA, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2020;38(9):905-914. doi:10.1200/JCO.19.00470

Delerium 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
  • Chwistek M, et al.. J Pain Symptom Manage. 2023;66(5):e638-e643.
    doi:10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2023.06.022

Palliative Approach Assessment Tool

  • 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;
  • Mitchell S. et al. JAMA 2010;
  • Amblàs-Novellas J,et al. BMJ Open 2016; doi:10.1136/bmjopen-2016-012340
  • Piers R, DeBrauwer I. Baeyens H. et al. BMJ Supportive & Palliative Care 2021
    doi:10.1136/ bmjspcare-2021-003042

Plan

  • Lepping P, Stanly T, Turner J. Systematic review on the prevalence of lack of capacity in medical and psychiatric settings. Clin Med (Lond). 2015 doi:10.7861/clinmedicine.15-4-337
  • Girota et al NEJM 2012;

Communication

  • Chochinov. ABCD of Dignity Conserving Care British Medical Journal, 2007
  • Martin EJ, Widera E. Prognostication in Serious Illness. Med Clin North Am. 2020.
    doi:10.1016/j.mcna.2019.12.002
  • Palliative Approach Assessment Tool; Epner & Baile Annals of Oncology 2012;