OXFORD Case Histories Palliative Medicine

1:Managing patients with life-limiting conditions (Cases 1-6)
2: Complex pain (Cases 7-12)
3:Other symptoms and problems relating to life-limiting conditions (Cases 13-25)
4:Clinical problems unrelated to cancer (Cases 26-29)
5:Emergencies in palliative care (Cases 30-34)
6:Pharmacology and therapeutics (Cases 35-43)
7:Care of the dying patient and their family (Cases 44-48)
8:Legal issues relevant to palliative care (Cases 49-52)
List of cases by diagnosis or principal theme
List of cases by principal clinical features at presentation
List of cases by aetiological mechanism

Part of the Oxford Case Histories series, this book guides medical professionals and trainees through 52 cases curated to illustrate the varied and often complex landscape of palliative medicine. From advanced symptom management in non-malignant disease, to working in parallel with allied specialties such as oncology, this book equips readers with diagnostic skills and clinical reasoning that helps temper knowledge and understanding with pragmatism and practicality in the face of life-limiting illness.

Based on the core clinical curriculum for higher specialist training in palliative medicine, each case starts with a short vignette, followed by further information or study results, before a series of questions ask for potential diagnoses, actions, or knowledge recall. Answers are accompanied by discussion and suggestions for further reading, enabling readers to gain the necessary skills for confident and competent diagnosis and management. In addition, a selection of non-clinical cases examines other critical areas of frequently engaged expertise for the palliative care physician, exploring themes of advance care planning, resuscitation decisions, ethics, spirituality, and UK law, ensuring broad relevance to anyone looking after those with advanced incurable disease.

Dr Jonathan Pickard, Consultant in Palliative Medicine, St Benedict's Hospice and Centre for Specialist Palliative Care, Sunderland, UK, and Mr Jonathan Hindmarsh, Accredited Consultant Pharmacist in Palliative and End of Life Care, South Tyneside and Sunderland NHS Foundation Trust, and St Benedict's Hospice and Centre for Specialist Palliative Care, Sunderland, UK