Palliative care at home: new guide for family doctors

A nine-chapter palliative care guide launched in Madrid gives family doctors advice on treating patients at home, from pain relief to urgent crises. The Spanish Society of Primary Care Doctors (SEMERGEN) presented it at a pain and palliative care meeting on 12 and 13 November. Its aim is to help patients stay at home for as long as they want, provided their condition allows it.

The quick-reference guide, PALIMECUM. Del síntoma a la decisión, starts with spotting palliative care needs early. It covers the needs of patients and those who care for them, conversations about the end of life, decisions made together and support after a death.

It also gives advice on opioids for pain and on managing digestive, breathing and neuropsychiatric symptoms. For urgent situations, it covers seizures, major bleeding and pressure on the spinal cord. Further guidance addresses giving medicines under the skin and palliative sedation at home.

David Palacios Martínez, the guide’s coordinator and president of SEMERGEN Madrid, says it is intended to help family doctors meet patients’ and families’ most common needs while supporting those who wish to remain at home.

Topics: Health

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com