Palliative management of nausea and vomiting in advanced cancer.

Background: Patients with cancer often experience nausea. In some cases, a specific cause such as chemotherapeutic adverse effects, raised intracranial pressure or malignant bowel obstruction is identified. In other cases, no specific cause is apparent.

Drug Interactions in People on Cannabidiol: Is There Cause for Concern?

Cannabidiol (CBD) exhibits multiple therapeutic properties, but its use in advanced cancer patients raises concerns about potential drug-drug interactions (DDIs) due to polypharmacy. This study aims to look for evidence of DDIs between concomitant medications and CBD oil in a randomized placebo-controlled trial of CBD oil for symptom control (MedCan-1 parent study). Surrogate measures were used to identify possible drug interactions: (1) the maximum mL of oil self-selected by patients in CBD or placebo groups in relation to opioids, specific drug groups, or individual agents; (2) the occurrence of any new or worse adverse effect in relation to the study arm and the concomitant medication classes/medications of interest.

Community Palliative Care: What are the Best Models?

Palliative care seeks to address the physical, psychosocial and spiritual concerns of patients with a life limiting illness and their caregivers. Early referral to palliative care improves symptoms and is the standard of care. This paper evaluates the evidence for different models of community palliative care and looks at the effects of homecare, hospice programs and residential aged care facility (RACF) interventions on symptom management, home death rate and acute health service utilization.

Incidence and outcomes of falls in an inpatient palliative care unit: a single-centre retrospective study.

Background: Falls are a significant concern in healthcare settings. While comprehensive strategies to prevent falls are employed in hospitals, there is a lack of information regarding falls within inpatient palliative care units.

Method: This retrospective cohort study analysed fall incidence, characteristics and outcomes in a metropolitan inpatient palliative care unit over a 1 year period.