Use of Dexamethasone for Severe Fatigue in the Advanced Cancer Population: A Brief Report.

Background: Fatigue is a common and distressing symptom for palliative care patients. Although the current literature emphasizes nonpharmacological management, dexamethasone is reportedly used in clinical practice. This study helps to characterize its use, efficacy, and adverse effects in a real-world setting.

Evaluating Adherence of Evidence-Based Post-Operative Discharge Opioid Prescribing Guidelines and Patient Outcomes Two Weeks Post-Discharge.

Introduction: There is a growing public health concern regarding inappropriate prescribing practices of discharge analgesia. A tertiary Australian hospital first developed its after an initial audit in 2015. Adherence to the guidelines were evaluated in 2016 and 2017 which show reduced compliance from 93.

Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia in palliative care.

Subcutaneous patient-controlled analgesia (SCPCA) is an underutilized method of pain management in palliative care patients. In a select group of patients, including patients in whom enteral analgesia is ineffective or undeliverable, and in patients with limited access to healthcare due to geographical or other logistic issues, SCPCA can provide an effective and safe alternative.

The effect of guideline implementation on discharge analgesia prescribing (two years on).

The provision of appropriate discharge analgesia can be challenging and is often prescribed by some of the most junior members of the medical team. Opioid abuse has been considered a growing public health crisis and physician overprescribing is a major contributor. In 2015 an initial audit of discharge analgesia at the Royal Perth Hospital led to the development of discharge analgesia guidelines.

Community pharmacists' attitudes toward palliative care: an Australian nationwide survey.

Background: Pharmacists are among the most accessible health care professionals in the community, yet are often not involved in community palliative care teams.

Objective: We investigated community pharmacists' attitudes, beliefs, feelings, and knowledge about palliative care as a first step towards determining how best to facilitate the inclusion of community pharmacists on the palliative care team.

Method: A cross-sectional descriptive survey design was used.

What are the essential medications in pallative care? - a survey of Australian palliative care doctors.

Background: There is a disparity of availability and cost of drugs in the community for palliative care patients through the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme (PBS) compared to those available to inpatients in public hospitals.

Methods: The Joint Therapeutics Committee of the Australian and New Zealand Society of Palliative Medicine, Palliative Care Australia and the Clinical Oncological Society of Australia surveyed palliative care practitioners in Australia to compile a list of drugs they considered essential.

Results: Drugs nominated generally had good levels of evidence for use in palliative care, although many practitioners still used some without evidence of benefit.