Advanced Search

Journal Navigation

Journal Home

Subscriptions

Archive

Contact Us

Table of Contents

Click here to register

Palliative Medicine
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow References
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to Saved Citations
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Request Reprints
Right arrow Add to My Marked Citations
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Right arrow Citing Articles via Scopus
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Armes, P.
Right arrow Articles by Addington-Hall, J.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Armes, P.
Right arrow Articles by Addington-Hall, J.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us   Add to Digg   Add to Reddit   Add to Technorati  
What's this?

Perspectives on symptom control in patients receiving community palliative care

PJ Armes

JM Addington-Hall

Department of Palliative Care and Policy, Guy's, King's and St ThomasflSchool of Medicine and Dentistry, Weston Education Centre, London

To remain at home, terminally ill cancer patients need good symptom control and support from informal carers. Few studies have explored the influence of informal carers on symptom control and vice versa. This qualitative case study was carried out in a specialist palliative care service (SPCS) to explore the reasons why patients were admitted for inpatient care. Ten patients were systematically selected and the main carer and health professionals involved in their care were invited to participate. Semi-structured, audiotape recorded interviews were conducted and a thematic analysis performed on the transcripts, using the ’Frameworkflapproach. The results highlight the vital role that carers play in the assessment and management of symptoms in the community. However, carers reported difficulties in knowing what to monitor, how to interpret symptoms accurately and when to inform a professional. It was also reported that medication was not taken as it was prescribed and a number of reasons were given.

Key Words: care givers • palliative care and home nursing

Palliative Medicine, Vol. 17, No. 7, 608-615 (2003)
DOI: 10.1191/0269216303pm801oa
Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us   Add to Digg Digg   Add to Reddit Reddit   Add to Technorati Technorati    What's this?