Editorials

Palliative care in general practice

Many general practitioners shy away from palliative care. They feel uncomfortable about working in teams, know little about controlling symptoms, and are reluctant to use powerful drugs in effective doses. Furthermore, some worry about demands on their time and are afraid to expose themselves to painful emotions.

A recent review of current standards of palliative care in general practice by the Royal College of General Practitioners identified deficits and tested a range of remedial measures.¹ Facilitators (one from each of five faculties of the college) were selected for their experience in palliative care, postgraduate education, and, by inference, audit. Together these skills represent those available in an ideal general practice; providing them has substantial implications for staffing and attitudes.

The facilitators developed a range of methods to define the current status of care and how it could be improved. Their conclusions were broadly similar: they . . . [Full text of this article]

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• Young, E, Meystre, C (1999). What is the symptom burden of patients with lung cancer between diagnosis and death?. Palliat Med 13: 507-507  
• Charlton, R. (1995). Palliative care is integral to practice. BMJ 311: 1503-1503 [Full text]  
• Brooks, D. (1995). Palliative care in general practice. BMJ 311: 1502c-150 [Full text]