Palliative Care: An Oxford Core Text (Oxford Core Texts) - Softcover

An extremely useful resource, not only for junior doctors and medical students but also for nurses and other healthcare professionals. This book is easy to read, concise and packed full of nuggets of wisdom and practical advice based on years of experience within the field of specialist palliative care. (Progress in Palliative Care)

This is a powerful book, it has struck a good balance between interesting and useful facts; It is pragmatic and well set-out. (Northwing - University of Sheffield Medical Society Newsletter)

A most valuable introduction to palliative care... I cannot commend it too highly... In a most readable form, the two authors... talk through the physical, psychological, social and spiritual issues involved in caring for patients towards the end of their lives. The style is easy-reading, with useful thinking points scattered throughout the chapters, and summary points at the end of each. Particularly welcome for many students will be their careful and sensitive discussion of the issues involved in talking with dying patients and their relatives, as well as the ethical and moral issues involved in end of life care. (Cambridge Medical Students Magazine)

This is a designer book for young doctors, which is infused with honesty and common sense. It is good to see authors and publishers creating texts that are good to look at as well as good to read... the authors have done well in creating an exciting new text. (Palliative Medicine)

This book is an excellent easy to read interactive guide for undergraduate students and allied health workers with limited experience in palliative care... a useful and accessible book. (Palliative Care News)

The care of patients with advanced and terminal illness can be extremely rewarding but often causes junior and indeed senior clinicians a considerable amount of discomfort. Patients with advanced disease present some of the most challenging ethical, physical, psychological, spiritual and social issues to clinicians and indeed to society. In line with the new integrated medical curricula, Palliative Care introduces the medical student and junior doctor to the problems experienced by patients with advanced disease. Information is provided in an accessible, user-friendly and interactive way and covers a wide range of physical and non-physical symptom management. Multiprofessional team work is addressed, as is the role and support of families. There is also a consideration of the dilemmas and decisions that may be encountered by doctors around the end of a patient's life.

Cover illustration: A water-colour titled 'The healing touch' reproduced with the kind permission of the artist Michele Angelo Petrone. Michele paints and writes of his experience during the treatment of Hodgkin's Disease.

'I need to know that this body is my body. And I need to know everything that is happening to my body. But most of all I need to know that you know that within my body there is me. Healing is brought about not just by medicine. It's not just treatment which cures you, but all that encompasses the human touch. A smile means more than an antibiotic injection, a hug more than a platelet transfusion. The face - of my friends, my family, my nurses and - yes - even my doctors, shows sympathy, compassion and understanding. This human face contributes so much to healing of the tortured soul'.