Family carers and healthcare staff said that hospital admission for patients near the end of their lives became necessary because of insufficient nursing and support at home, in a newly published study from the Cambridge Palliative and End of Life Care Group at the Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge. The study was carried out […]
Anticipatory syringe drivers: a step too far
The latest Gosport War Memorial Hospital inquiry has increased patient, public, and clinician awareness in the UK about syringe drivers for continuous subcutaneous delivery of opioids and other medications at the end of life. In safe hands, syringe drivers facilitate safe and effective symptom control for those no longer able to swallow or absorb tablets. […]
Preventive drugs in the last year of life of older adults with cancer: Is there room for deprescribing?
The continuation of preventive drugs among older patients with advanced cancer is examined in a recent publication in the research journal, Cancer. Dr Stephen Barclay (Department Public Health & Primary Care), collaborated with colleagues from the Karolinska Institute and Newcastle University, finding that the use of preventive drugs in the last year of life is […]
New funds for Cambridge’s centre of expertise in palliative and end of life care research and teaching
Over 500,000 people die each year in England and Wales, and evidence shows that many receive suboptimal care. An anonymous charitable trust has made a substantial donation of £750,000 to the Cambridge Palliative and End of Life Care Group, where researchers are pressing forward with wide ranging discoveries about the experiences of people in the […]
RESEARCH ALERT: The practice of prescribing “Just in Case” drugs for patients nearing the end of life in the community lacks evidence
“Just in Case” anticipatory prescribing – a common practice in community end of life care – lacks adequate evidence, according to a new review of the literature on this topic by researchers from the Primary Care Unit at the University of Cambridge. This research alert is for GPs and healthcare commissioners. Our Palliative and End […]
Health research project required advice or approval from 89 different people to get the green light, in case study of approvals process
Which health research projects involving humans are ethically justified, safe and legal? Who decides whether they should get the green light to proceed? In one case study, researchers at the Primary Care Unit, University of Cambridge, found that eighty nine different people were involved in approving a single small scale health research study for ethics […]