Supportive Care Series – serie

Surgical Palliative Care describes the principles and practice of surgery in the context of palliative and supportive care. Surgery is often considered too invasive to be useful in palliation and clinicians instinctively turn to radiotherapy, chemotherapy, and other drugs. Surgery, with increasingly minimal access techniques, may be simpler and less invasive than other treatments and produces excellent palliation. Indeed, most types of surgery are not curative and the aim of this book is to alert all concerned with palliative care to the usefulness and appropriateness of a surgical option.The text is divided into two sections; the first dealing with general issues, varying from quality of life measurement to spirituality, and the second illustrating their application in different specialties of surgery ranging from neurosurgery to urology. The book ends with a challenge to surgeons to change their perspective from curative surgery, in terms of simply cure or failure, to improvement in quality of life and relief of symptoms. Aimed primarily at palliative medicine and pain consultants, this book will also appeal to surgeons who increasingly need to know more about palliative care.

This book provides a practical, evidence-based overview of the supportive care of patients with urological failure, covering issues such as quality of life measurements, the role of the multidisciplinary team, and psychological and social support for patients, families and carers. The book focuses on chronic symptoms such as chronic prostatitis.It begins by looking at quality of life measurements, self-help strategies, the role of the interdisciplinary team, and psychological and social support. It then moves on to clinical chapters which cover issues such as patients who present with hematuria, urinary retention, urinary incontinence, neurological disease affecting the urinary tract, chronic prostatitis, and infertility; ending with a chapter on supportive care for the urology patient and family in the future. The book places a special emphasis on symptomatic interventions, particularly in the setting where the course of the illness cannot be modified.

Supportive care can be thought of as an extension of palliative care so that the person with dementia receives good quality, holistic care that makes no distinctions between the dichotomies of care and cure from the time of diagnosis until, and beyond, death. It recognizes the need for an inter-disciplinary approach and for continuity of care. Supportive care in dementia must, therefore, be broad in its scope and application. Supportive Care for the person with dementia provides just such a broad and full perspective, drawing upon the experience and expertise of a wide range of internationally-based professionals to outline a model of supportive care that will provide good quality and holistic care for people with dementia. Making use of real-life reports from both patients and carers to help readers fully understand the reality of dementia, the book examines the key principles that guide the practice of supportive care. It looks at how supportive care can be used, and specific benefits a care model of this type can bring to the complex problems that are frequently encountered when treating this condition. It is an ideal resource for all clinicians who are part of an interdisciplinary team caring for sufferers with this debilitating illness.

Supportive Care for the Renal Patient Second Edition provides a comprehensive, evidence-based overview of supportive care for the nephrology patient. An international group of contributors emphasise the continuum of palliative care from the time of diagnosis through to end-of-life care and the issues surrounding withdrawal of dialysis. The book addresses the psychological impact of the disease, the importance of involving the patient in making decisions about their care, ethical considerations, the role of the family and the multidisciplinary team. This new edition includes two new chapters on conservative management of advanced kidney disease (AKD) and dialysis in the very elderly. The chapters covering non pain symptoms, advance care planning, quality of life, psychological and psychiatric consideration and end-of-life care have also be completely revised to include new evidence and current thinking.This book will be of particular interest to palliative care practitioners; nephrologists, who increasingly need to know more about palliative care; nurse practitioners, dialysis nurses, social workers, dieticians, and psychiatric consultants.ABOUT THE SUPPORTIVE CARE SERIES Supportive care is the multidisciplinary holistic care of patients with chronic and life-limiting illnesses and their families - from the time around diagnosis, through treatments aimed at cure or prolonging life, and into the phase currently acknowledged as palliative care. It involves recognising and caring for the side-effects of active therapies as well as patients' symptoms, co-morbidities, psychological, social and spiritual concerns. It also values the role of family carers and helps them in supporting the patient, as well as attending to their own special needs.Unlike traditional palliative care, which grew from the terminal care of cancer patients, supportive care is not restricted to dying patients nor to cancer. This series covers the support of patients with a variety of long-term conditions, who are currently largely managed by specialist medical teams in hospital and by primary care teams in community settings. Each volume therefore provides a practical guide to the supportive care of patients at all stages of illness.Series Editor: Sam H. Ahmedzai