Essentials of Palliative Care by Nalini Vadivelu Alan David Kaye & Jack M. Berger

Author:Nalini Vadivelu, Alan David Kaye & Jack M. Berger
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Springer New York, New York, NY

PRN as Needed Dosing

The prescribing of medications often is accompanied by specific instructions, as patients rely on the healthcare provider’s expertise to guide him. In the management of symptoms, this control if often shifted to the patient and care giver, as in the case of taking medications “as needed.” As the goal of symptom management is comfort, this is an endpoint that can only be determined by the patient himself, thus the burden of titration to the desired outcome requires vigilant assessment and judicious medicating. Obstacles to this include fear of medication and ignorance regarding appropriate use for a given medication, as in the case of rescue drugs for breakthrough pain. It is essential that patients and care givers are empowered to self-titrate and receive education about the value of pharmacologic tools prescribed for comfort and quality of life, and encouraged to optimize the use of symptom-relieving therapies. This will allow maximal comfort while reducing the feared side effects.

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