An Open-Label Pilot Study Testing the Feasibility of Assessing Total Symptom Burden in Trials of Cannabinoid Medications in Palliative Care.

There is considerable interest in the use of cannabinoids for symptom control in palliative care, but there is little high-quality evidence to guide clinical practice. Assess the feasibility of using global symptom burden measures to assess response to medicinal cannabis, to determine median tolerated doses of cannabidiol (CBD) and tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), and to document adverse events (AEs). Prospective two-arm open-label pilot trial of escalating doses of CBD and THC oil.

Using aggregated single patient (N-of-1) trials to determine the effectiveness of psychostimulants to reduce fatigue in advanced cancer patients: a rationale and protocol.

Background: It is estimated that 29% of deaths in Australia are caused by malignant disease each year and can be expected to increase with population ageing. In advanced cancer, the prevalence of fatigue is high at 70-90%, and can be related to the disease and/or the treatment. The negative impact of fatigue on function (physical, mental, social and spiritual) and quality of life is substantial for many palliative patients as well as their families/carers.

Survey of bereavement support provided by Australian palliative care services.

Objective: To determine the prevalence, staffing, methods, timing and allocation of bereavement programs in Australian palliative care services.

Design: Questionnaire-based postal survey.

Setting And Participants: The questionnaire was mailed in January 2007 to all 324 palliative care centres identified from the Australian Palliative care national directory 2004.

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.

The compatibility and stability of midazolam and dexamethasone in infusion solutions.

The delivery of subcutaneous medication by continuous infusion is common in palliative medicine. Many centers combine multiple medications, but the analytical confirmation of the compatibility and stability of these combinations has rarely been performed. This study examined the compatibility and stability of midazolam and dexamethasone using high performance liquid chromatography.

Survival after enrollment in an Australian palliative care program.

Palliative care services aim to achieve the best quality of life for patients by controlling pain and other physical symptoms and attending to their psychospiritual needs. There have been many studies across different countries looking at timing of referral to palliative care services. Almost universally, timing of referral to palliative care is 'late' in the course of the patients' illness.

Advances in palliative care relevant to the wider delivery of healthcare.

The availability of a variety of opioids, together with the discovery of new uses for old drugs (such as ketamine), assists individualised pain management in palliative care. Experience in palliative care provides reassurance that the effective use of opioids and sedatives does not accelerate the approach of death. In taking patient histories, recognising the spiritual component of life experience enlarges the focus of care.