palliative care and the death certificate

Question 1

what are the aims of palliative care?

Answer 1

Care now should be individualised for each patient and concentrate and focus on their needs.

Individualised care plans should be completed where possible to ensure the patient and family’s needs are being met.

priority needs to be on comfort and dignity

Question 2

what can suggest end of life/the dying phase?

Answer 2

• Bed bound.
• Semi comatose.
• Only able to take sips of fluid.
• Unable to take medicine orally

Question 3

what symptoms can patients face at the end of the life?

Answer 3

• Pain
• Nausea and Vomiting
• Dyspnoea
• Agitation
• Confusion
• Constipation
• Anorexia
• TerminalSecretions

Question 4

what is the use of the Macmillan nurses and the pallative care team?

Answer 4

offer support (can refer if patient is suspected to have 8 weeks of life of less left)

Hospices and community hospital beds are available for patients who have symptoms requiring ongoing treatment or support. The majority of patients prefer to be cared for at home.

Question 5

how is a death certified and what does it involve?

Answer 5

When patients die in hospital they are certified by a medical doctor.

Certification process includes checking that pupils are fixed and dilated, that there is no response to pain and that there are no breath or heart sounds after 1 minute of auscultation.

Question 6

can a body be cremated with a pacemaker/radioactive implants?

Answer 6

no , need to remove

Question 7

what is the role of a coroner?

Answer 7

The coroners role is determine who died, where they died and how they died. They do not comment on care but do have powers to insisit on further local investigation. Coroners can decide to hold an inquest to ascertain the answers to the questions above.

Question 8

when should a doctor report a death to a corner?

Answer 8

when a doctor knows or has reasonable cause to suspect that the death:

1) occurred as a result of poisoning e.g drugs
2) occurred as a result of trauma, violence or physical injury, whether inflicted intentionally or otherwise;
3) related to any treatment/ procedure
4) occurred as a result of self-harm
5) injury/ disease received during, or attributable to the person’s work
6) a result of a notifiable accident, poisoning, or disease;
7) occurred as a result of neglect or failure of care by another person;
8) Was otherwise unnatural.