Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care

Max Watson is a consultant at the Northern Ireland Hospice , and lecturer in Palliative Medicine at the University of Ulster. He is also an honorary consultant at the Princess Alice Hospice in Esher and Special Adviser to the Hospice Friendly Hospitals programme in Dublin. Trained in theology and medicine, Max spent eight years in Nepal working in a rural hospital where he set up a General Practice training programme, and returning to the UK he completed Palliative Medicine training in London and Belfast. Max is on the central committee of the Gold Standards Framework, a member of the the National Cancer Research Institute, and since 2000 has established a home study Certificate programme in essential palliative care which runs across the UK and internationally. He is an author of several books, including the Oxford Handbook of Palliative Care, The Oxford Core Text in Oncology, and the London and Northern Ireland Adult and Paediatric Palliative Medicine guidelines.

Introduction ; 1. Ethical issues ; 2. Breaking bad news ; 3. Research in palliative care ; 4. Principles of drug use in palliative care ; 5. Oncology and palliative care ; 6. Symptom management ; 7. Paediatric palliative care ; 8. End of life care in non-malignant disease ; 9. Spiritual care ; 10. Contribution to palliative care of allied health professions ; 11. Complementary therapies in palliative care ; 12. Palliative care in the home ; 13. Hospital liaison palliative care ; 14. Palliative care for people with learning difficulties ; 15. Emergencies in palliative care ; 16. The terminal phase ; 17. Bereavement ; 18. Self care ; 19. Miscellaneous