Background: Newly qualified doctors frequently feel unprepared for clinical practice. ‘Performing
under stress’ has been cited as a particular barrier in this transitional period. …

Objectives: The UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE) indicate that
palliative care patients are at high risk of delirium and should be screened for it using the short …

There is little in the literature describing hospital specialist palliative care units (PCUs) within
the NHS. This paper describes how specialist PCUs can be set up within and be entirely …

EDITOR—As rheumatologists, we were delighted to see your issue devoted to chronic
disease. Donovan and Blake are to be congratulated on tackling the important issue of …

Pain may be classified as nociceptive or neuropathic and somatic or visceral. Neuropathic
pain can be further subdivided into that due to nerve compression, nerve destruction, or …

This paper describes a patient with an inoperable gastrointestinal stromal tumour with
moderate volume malignant ascites. A large-volume paracentesis caused haemodynamic …

Background Delirium affects up to 50% of patients on medical wards (NICE), however the
impact in palliative care units is unclear, with prevalence estimates ranging from 13–64%. Use …

Background It is becoming increasingly recognised among healthcare professionals that for
patients approaching the end of life, a busy Emergency Department (ED) or acute hospital …

Pain may be classified as nociceptive or neuropathic and somatic or visceral. Neuropathic
pain can be further subdivided into that due to nerve compression, nerve destruction or …

Background Incorrect opioid prescribing can significantly impact patient care and safety,
resulting in poor pain control or risk of opioid toxicity. Renal failure often means adjustment of …