Orodispersible and transmucosal alternative medications for symptom control in adults.

Background: Paediatric palliative care makes frequent use of orodispersible and transmucosal drug delivery routes. The limited published experience of this practice suggests that it enables the delivery of needle-free symptom relief, with the potential to train family carers to administer anticipatory medications without reliance on trained health professionals.

Aims: To identify orodispersible and potential transmucosal alternatives that may be used in adults in the event of a patient having no oral or intravenous route and no access to subcutaneous injections.

Fan therapy for cough: case report and literature review.

This case report describes the care of a 59-year-old woman with metastatic small cell lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who was highly symptomatic with an intractable cough. The patient reported a subjective benefit from a table fan. The authors observed an objective improvement with a marked reduction in cough frequency when the fan was in use.

Can video consultations replace face-to-face interviews? Palliative medicine and the Covid-19 pandemic: rapid review.

During the Covid-19 pandemic, a strategy to minimise face-to-face (FtF) visits and limit viral spread is essential. Video consultations offer clinical assessment despite restricted movement of people.We undertook a rapid literature review to identify the highest currently available level of evidence to inform this major change in clinical practice.

Subcutaneous levetiracetam for the management of seizures at the end of life.

Objectives: To report the results of a combined case series analysis of subcutaneous levetiracetam (Keppra) for the management of seizures in palliative care patients.

Methods: A comprehensive literature review on the use of subcutaneous levetiracetam was performed, and these data were combined with a prospective observational audit of its use in terminal care undertaken in a regional palliative care network.

Results: 7 papers were identified from the literature review-four case reports and three observational case series-reporting on a total of 53 cases where subcutaneous levetiracetam was administered.