Palliative care

Question 1

How do you confirm a death?

Answer 1

Confirming the patient’s identity
Checking for any obvious signs of life
Checking response to verbal and painful stimuli
Assessing pupils - they should be fixed and dilated
Feeling a central pulse
Listening for heart and respiratory sounds for 5 minuites

Question 2

What is the conversion of oral morphine to subcut morphine?

Answer 2

2:1

Question 3

What class of drug can be used to treat chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting?

Answer 3

5HT3 receptor antagonist such as Ondansetron

Question 4

First line treatment for spasmodic pain in palliative care patients?

Answer 4

Diazepam

Question 5

What is the doctrine of the double effect

Answer 5

The ‘doctrine of the double effect’ – the intention is to alleviate pain/suffering, not to kill the patient but the patient is at risk of dying in order to achieve symptom relief

Question 6

What is the most important thing that makes a ReSPECT forM valid

Answer 6

Those involved in making the summary plan must be detailed

Question 7

What does ReSPECT stand for?

Answer 7

Recommended Summary Plan for Emergency Care and Treatment

Question 8

Breakthrough dose in pallitation?

Answer 8

Breakthrough dose = 1/6th of daily morphine dose