Palliative Care
Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List for South Africa, Hospital Level, Adults 2019 Edition
- Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients and their families facing problems associated with life-threatening illness, regardless of whether or not they also receive life-prolonging treatment.
- Palliative care requires a multidisciplinary approach and aims to address physical, psychosocial, and spiritual problems.
- Life threatening illnesses are where death is expected to be a direct consequence of the specified illness.
- Analysis of available evidence suggested 11 common symptoms occurring in the advanced stages and end of life stages: anorexia, anxiety, constipation, delirium, depression, diarrhoea, dyspnoea, fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain and respiratory tract secretions.
- All symptoms should be managed by a multi-disciplinary team to ensure a holistic approach.
Note
Please be advised that the recommendations in this chapter are directed at treating common symptoms alongside disease directed care and symptoms associated with end-of-life care.
The SPICTTM-SA is a generic tool (https://www.spict.org.uk/the-spict/spict sa/), designed for the South African setting, to help identify adults with advanced life-limiting illnesses when the best available and appropriate treatment has been given and their condition continues to deteriorate.
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| Always refer to the latest National Guidelines on Palliative Care. |
- For management of pain in palliative care see Chapter: Pain
Standard Treatment Guidelines and Essential Medicines List for South Africa, Adult Hospital Level, 2020-2024_Version 1.0_07 November 2024
Chapter 24: Medicines used in Palliative Care_Palliative Care