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It's time to allow people to
die at home
with
dignity
November 2004,
Newswise —
People with terminal conditions should be able to die at home with
dignity, say researchers in this week's British Medical Journal.
Although 65% of people with cancer
want to die at home, only about 30% are successful in doing so. A
government committed to choice for patients must improve this figure,
write palliative care experts from Edinburgh University.
Developing palliative care services in
primary care is essential for realizing the expectations of dying
people. Primary care professionals have the potential and ability to
provide end of life care for most patients, given adequate training and
resources. However, until recently, few comprehensive workforce
initiatives have been undertaken in primary care that focus on end of
life care.
Furthermore, the new general medical
services contract has not prioritized palliative care. These changes
will greatly affect care for dying people and may increase the number of
hospital admissions, they add.
However, one important initiative is
gaining momentum within primary care. The Gold Standards Framework is a
resource for organizing proactive palliative care in the community. It
includes a detailed guide to providing holistic, patient centered care
and thereby facilitates effective care in the community.
Every person with a progressive
illness has a right to palliative care, say the authors. General
practitioners and community nurses are trusted by patients and are in a
position to provide effective, equitable, and accessible palliative
care. This will happen only if they have adequate time and resources and
work in a system that encourages such care.
Patients who receive holistic support
in the community may be less likely to require expensive admission to
hospital and often futile treatments at the end of their lives, they
conclude.
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