Palliative Care Guidelines



Dr Kate Grundy FRACP FAChPM Clinical Director Palliative Care Anne Morgan SRN, DipN (Lond), MA (Applied) Palliative Care Nurse Consultant	We wish to thank Ruth Tramschek, Oncology Pharmacist, Christchurch Hospital for her assistance in the preparation of this publication. Click here to open an Acrobat (PDF) version of these guidelines, suitable for printing.
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. Some medications are used for indications, by routes or in doses that are not approved by New Zealand licensing. This is common practice and validated internationally. For more information see 'The Use of Unapproved Medicines in Palliative Care'.
First written March 2001 Revised June 2001 Revised August 2002 Revised November 2003 Revised January 2005 Revised November 2005 Revised January 2008 Revised July 2009

In This Section

Management of Persistent Pain in the Palliative Setting

Nausea and Vomiting

Intestinal Obstruction

Excessive Secretions

Care of the Imminently Dying

Subcutaneous Administration of Medications

Guidelines for Referral to the Palliative Care Service


Information about this Canterbury DHB document (4207):
Document Owner:	Palliative Care Service (see Who's Who)
Issue Date:	July 2009
Next Review:	July 2010
Note: Only the electronic version is controlled. Once printed, this is no longer a controlled document.
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Have you read the Disclaimer? These pathways, for the care and management of patients within Canterbury, have been developed jointly by primary and secondary care clinicians. They provide guidance for General Practice teams to diagnose and manage patients suffering from a number of different conditions, and contain patient information resources. The pathways are maps of publicly-funded services accessed by referral from the community, and are strongly evidence based, but are not full clinical guidelines. As the pathways are suggested guidance only, while using them you must exercise your own clinical judgement and pertinent clinical data when treating your patient. This site is intended to be flexible and frequently updated. While every effort has been made to ensure accuracy, all information should be verified.

Topic Code: 4207