Main description:

Even for the most experienced healthcare professional, managing the last few days of life can be difficult. This unique book provides guidelines for the care of the dying based on the Liverpool Integrated Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP). Developed at a hospice, the information can be disseminated and adapted to fit different settings such as hospitals and nursing homes.

The LCP is a multiprofessional document that incorporates evidence-based practice and appropriate guidelines related to care of the dying. It provides a template which describes the process of care which is generally delivered in a clinical situation and incorporates the expected outcome of care delivery. The LCP replaces all other documentation in this phase of care. Care pathways can provide a potentially powerful aid to professionals involved in palliative care. Basic principles of treatment
are translated into daily practice, including bedside documentation systems, policies and procedures, standards of practice, continuing education and quality improvement programmes. This book also includes chapters on symptom control, ethical issues, communication skills, and spiritual care written
by experts in the field which underpin the use of the LCP.

Care of the Dying Second Edition will prove invaluable to all healthcare professionals involved in the care of the dying patient, organisations and Trusts who want to develop demonstrable measures and outcomes of care.

Contents:

Introduction ; 1. What about Care Pathways? ; 2. What is the Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying patient (LCP)? ; 3. Symptom control in care of the dying: how can the Liverpool Care Pathway (LCP) influence symptom control?, How do you manage nausea and vomiting in the dying patient? and Comfort measures in the last hours or days of life ; 4. Ethical issues in care of the dying ; 5. Communication in care of the dying ; 6. Spiritual/religious issues in care of the dying ; 7. Supporting family and friends as death approaches and afterwards ; 8. Supporting children as death approaches and afterwards ; 9. Induction and implementation of the Liverpool Care Pathway for the dying patient (LCP) ; 10. Dissemination and sustainability strategy for the LCP programme - incorporating a model for national audit for care of the dying ; 11. International development of the LCP ; Appendix 1 - The Liverpool Care Pathway for the Dying Patient (LCP) Core Documentation ; Appendix 2 - Ongoing assessment of the plan of care ; Appendix 3 - Completed pathway ; Appendix 4 - Coping with dying leaflet