Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine

I just got my hands on a copy of a fabulous new book by Drs Goldstein and Morrison and felt compelled to write a quick review about it.  The title of the book is “Evidence-Based Practice of Palliative Medicine” and it’s 528 pages is chock-full of useful palliative care topics.

The most interesting aspect of the new book is the chapter format. The editors put together what can be best described as a detailed FAQs (Frequently Asked Questions) on palliative medicine. There are 81 questions that are addressed in depth in the corresponding chapters.  Some of my favorite questions from the book include:

Symptom Management Section:

• How should patient-controlled analgesia be used in patients with serious illness and those experiencing post-op pain?
• Which opioids are safest and most effective in renal failure? 
• How should methadone be started and titrated in opioid-naïve and opioid-tolerant patients? 
• When should corticosteroids be used to manage pain? 
• When should radiopharmaceuticals be considered for pain management? 
• What nonopioid treatments should be used to manage dyspnea associated with COPD? 
• What interventions are effective for relieving acute bowel obstruction in cancer and other conditions? 
• What treatments are effective for anxiety in patients with serious illness?

Communication Section: 

• What is a useful strategy for estimating survival for persons with advanced non-cancer related illness in palliative care settings? 
• What do palliative care clinicians need to know about teaching communication?

Disease Specific Topics

• What special considerations are needed for treatments patients with chronic liver disease? 
• What special considerations are needs for individuals with ALS, MS, or Parkinson Disease? 
• How is the patients who stops dialysis best managed? 
• Which patients with end-stage renal disease should not be started on dialysis?

Special Topics 

• What techniques can be used in the hospital or home setting to best manage uncontrolled bleeding? 
• What can be done to improve outcomes for caregivers of patients with serious illness? 
• How can palliative care be integrated into home-based primary care programs?

The other nice thing about this book is that it is pretty easy to access all the chapters online via the publishers web-portal www.expertconsult.com.

If you want to take a closer look at the book, you can find it on Amazonand Barnes & Noble.

By: Eric Widera (@ewidera)

Disclosure: I was an author on 2 chapters in this book, but I have not received, nor will receive, any royalties except for a copy of the book (I have though requested it be autographed by Sean and Nate).