To understand a person’s symptoms and identify appropriate symptom management strategies, a comprehensive, multidimensional approach to assessment is needed.
Overview
Topic 3: Principles of symptom assessment and management will help you develop the knowledge and skills needed to identify the health needs of people with a life-limiting condition. You will also develop your understanding of the principles for managing common symptoms in palliative care.
Aims & Objectives
After completing this topic, you should be able to:
- develop an understanding of the principles for assessing and managing symptoms associated with life-limiting conditions
- discuss the importance of the multidisciplinary team in symptom assessment and management.
Sessions
describe the importance of impeccable and holistic assessments in palliative care
understand the association of trajectories and symptom assessment.
Impeccable palliative care assessment
Anticipating likely symptoms
Comprehensive and multidimensional assessments
Case study – Herbert’s story
outline common palliative care symptoms
describe contributing factors which can influence the symptom experience of a person with a life-limiting condition
outline the importance of consistent assessment approaches including the use of validated palliative care assessment tools.
Common palliative symptoms
Ensuring consistent assessment approaches
Case study – Herbert six months later
describe the key components of evidence based palliative symptom management
outline the process to develop the palliative care plan in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, person with a life-limiting condition and their family.
Comprehensive symptom management in palliative care
Sources of evidence
Importance of evidence
Expert opinion – The importance of evidence in palliative care
Case study – Herbert’s illness progresses