David Jeffrey – författare

Most people with far-advanced illness wish to be cared for at home for as long as possible. The challenge of providing good palliative care at home is therefore of major importance for family doctors, nurses and all those committed to maintaining the highest possible quality of life for the dying person. As modern specialist palliative care has raised both standards of care and also public expectations of family doctors and community nurses, this book helps to place specialist care in context. As palliative care is a major responsibility for teams providing palliative care at home, this book provides a definitive guide on how to provide effective care for people with far-advanced disease. Written by two palliative medicine specialists, both of whom have been family doctors, this book deals with all the physical, emotional, spiritual and social problems likely to be encountered by family doctors and community nurses caring for a patient and relatives at home. It deals in detail with emergencies, communications, ethical issues and emphasises throughout the importance of team work.'It provides a wealth of information and advice on all aspects of palliative care at home'. Elaine Coleridge Smith Information Exchange, No. 13, 1995

The majority of doctors and nurses involved in specialist palliative care reject the legalisation of physician assisted suicide (PAS). This book explores the reasons why the healthcare professionals who have the most experience of caring for dying patients should object to a change in the law. Debate about euthanasia and PAS often arises in response to a well publicised tragic case of unrelieved suffering. Such heart rending stories do not reflect the fact that the majority of people dying have a dignified death. There is a marked disparity between medical intuitions and the philosophers' arguments about euthanasia and PAS. It seems that part of the moral constitution of a doctor is a commitment not to intend the death of a patient and to protect them from harm. The perspective of those who are privileged to care for thousands of dying patients and their families should inform the debate about PAS.This book will enable those who are not working within palliative care to gain an insight into the scope of this speciality and to understand why legalisation of PAS should be resisted to maintain and improve care of dying patients.

'Healthcare professionals spend much of their time listening to stories of sickness related by patients and their families. It thus seems appropriate that drama, which is primarily concerned with exploring narratives, change and crises and relies, like the clinical situation, on communication, is an ideal medium for healthcare professionals to gain new insights into care.' From the Introduction Good communication forms the heart of patient-centred care and is the cornerstone of a trusting relationship. Enhancing Compassion in End-of-Life Care Through Drama explores a broad range of plays from Greek tragedy to the present day and investigates how particular theatrical dynamics help to understand complexities in the setting of end-of-life care. It examines fresh ways to interpret the action and subtext represented on the stage and finds symmetries in a clinical context. It is ideal for use in a range of educational contexts, with practical ideas for workshops and summaries of key concepts in each chapter. This book will motivate all members of the multidisciplinary palliative care team including palliative care professionals, doctors, nurses, psychologists, spiritual advisers and social workers. Although based in the setting of palliative care, the learning points are relevant to all areas of clinical practice.

Education of healthcare professionals is the cornerstone of specialist palliative services. This book is a practical toolbox of teaching techniques. Accessible, practical and easy to use it will encourage busy clinicians to teach by increasing their confidence in their training abilities. It provides a resource of various tools and describes how to approach teaching in a team, planning, methods and evaluation. Each chapter presents a menu of tried and tested techniques and closes with examples of lesson plans. The multidisciplinary experiences of the contributors are reflected in the book and healthcare professionals working in palliative care, hospitals, hospices or the community will find it to be essential reading.