Haematologists' perceptions of palliative care and specialist palliative care referral: a qualitative study.

Objectives: This study explored the views and perceptions of haematologists towards palliative care, based on their own clinical experiences, focusing on those factors that helped or hindered referral to specialist palliative care (SPC) services.

Method: We conducted in-depth face-to-face interviews with a purposive sample of eight trainee and consultant haematologists working in tertiary referral centres in the West Midlands. All interviews were recorded, transcribed and subsequently analysed using the principles of the grounded theory approach.

Healing of a pyoderma gangrenosum at the site of a percutaneous endoscopically sited gastrostomy tube without tube removal.

Pyoderma gangrenosum (PG) is a rare but important cause of pain and morbidity, and is associated with malignancy and shows pathergy. Occurrence at a percutaneous endoscopic gastrostomy (PEG) site is rare and may prompt PEG tube removal. This case describes management of PG at a PEG site in a man with squamous cell carcinoma of the orophayrnx.