Most GPs, specialists and allied health professionals will find themselves managing a patient in palliative care at some point and they can be confident that HealthPathways offers the latest information to help guide them.
HealthPathways Clinical Editor Dr Kate Allan and Port Macquarie palliative care physician Dr William Kennett have recently worked together to review and update the suite of online Palliative Care HealthPathways, ensuring that the pathways and their resources reflect the most up-to-date knowledge and evidence-based best practice.
One of the most important HealthPathways provided is Pain Management in Palliative Care.
‘Especially in regional areas, it is very important that the GP knows how to manage pain in their patient who might not be able to access a specialist pain team review quickly,’ Dr Allan said.
‘Using these resources, the GP may have the opportunity to undertake a pain review in conjunction with the specialist, for example.’
The New Palliative Care Patient HealthPathway provides an assessment section that guides health professionals to gather patient history, examination details and general other information; a management section that lays out stepped guidelines for a variety of issues including medication; and localised referral pathways across the Mid and North Coast footprint.
Symptom Control in Palliative Care provides information on patient issues such as constipation, delirium and dyspnoea/respiratory issues – especially in the context of COVID-19.
‘There is so much important new information available. I would encourage health professionals to take the time to go and have a look,’ Dr Allan said.
‘Dr Kennett and I have put in a lot of work to overhaul them all, as part of our 3-year review cycle. There is a significant amount of new information that doctors should know about.’
Visit the Palliative Care HealthPathways.
Username: manchealth
Password: conn3ct3d