Page 18 - mediscene nov19

MEDI SCENE
Quick Checklist On Palliative Care In Neurology

There are several unique aspects of
palliative care in neurology as

compared with palliative care in
other patient populations. This
article serves as a checklist to identify
patients requiring palliative care in
neurology, further providing a quick view of available guidelines and relevant issues in
providing optimum care.
INDICATIONS FOR PALLIATIVE CARE
' Limited lifespan of 6–12 months ' Distressing symptoms
' Need for end-of-life planning
PALLIATIVE CARE PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR NEUROLOGICAL DISEASES

' Early consideration of palliative care ' Use of multidisciplinary teams
' Open communication
o Communicate with empathy and compassion
o Authentic and active listening o Effective sharing of information
o Communication of prognosis
o Use ethical principles in communication
' Use early advance care planning
o Help family establish goals of care
o Engage family in shared ethical decision-making

' Early identification and adequate treatment of symptoms
' Early recognition of dying phase
' Education and support of palliative care providers
MAJOR NEUROLOGICAL DISEASE REQUIRING PALLIATIVE CARE
' Stroke ' Nervous system tumours ' Multiple sclerosis (MS)
' Parkinson disease (PD) ' Huntington's disease (HD)
' Motor neurone disease (MND) ' Muscular dystrophies
' Massive intracranial haemorrhage (ICH) ' Malignant cerebral infarction
' Neuromuscular disorders ' Severe traumatic brain injury (TBI)

November-2019ember-2019
Vol. : 18 - Issue : 1ol. : 18 - Issue : 1
V 15 Nov