New evidence indicates the need to rethink anticipatory prescribing This Research Alert brings together new evidence on anticipatory prescribing, a widely used resource for healthcare professionals to help control distressing symptoms for people dying in the community. The evidence identifies important problems with current practice in the UK and suggests system-level changes to tackle four […]
Department of Public Health and Primary Care to contribute to two new NIHR Policy Research Units on Cancer and Palliative Care
NIHR has announced a major investment supporting Policy Research Units. Members of the Department of Public Health and Primary Care at the University of Cambridge are part of the Policy Research Units on Cancer Awareness, Screening and Early Diagnosis and on Palliative and End of Life Care. The Cancer Awareness, Screening and Early Diagnosis Unit […]
Making a difference to palliative care: Dr Ben Bowers wins European Research Award
The European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Early Researcher Award winner in 2023, Dr Ben Bowers, discusses his research, which aims to improve end-of-life care by developing the evidence base on anticipatory prescribing in the last days of life. Ben is a clinical-academic community nurse. He is a Wellcome Post-Doctoral Fellow at the Primary Care Unit, […]
‘Just in Case’ medicines don’t always help people dying at home
New research reveals the complexities of making ‘Just in Case’ medications available for people nearing the end of life at home. Patients, informal carers and healthcare professionals interviewed for the research said their presence could cause distress as well as comfort. Some families reported difficulties persuading nurses to administer the medications to relieve suffering. The […]
Terminally ill people struggling to access essential care at home during evenings and weekends
Terminally ill people are struggling to access essential care at home during evenings and weekends, according to new research from King’s College London, Hull York Medical School and the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge. Marie Curie, which funded the research, warns that the findings mean that people are dying in pain. Read […]
Innovation and research in anticipatory prescribing: Study Day report
Anticipatory Prescribing in community End of Life Care by Dr Ben Bowers Recent innovations and research in end-of-life anticipatory prescribing practice were discussed at a national Study Day hosted by PELiCam on 21 September 2022. The national Cross-Applied Health Research Collaboration (ARC) event brought healthcare professionals and researchers together to share and discuss recent research […]