Topic 3: Principles of symptom assessment and management
To understand a person's symptoms and identify appropriate symptom management strategies, a comprehensive, multidimensional approach to assessment is needed.
Overview
Topic 3: Principles of symptom assessment and management will help you develop the knowledge and skills needed to identify the health needs of people with a life-limiting condition. You will also develop your understanding of the principles for managing common symptoms in palliative care.
Aims & Objectives
After completing this topic, you should be able to:
- develop an understanding of the principles for assessing and managing symptoms associated with life-limiting conditions
- discuss the importance of the multidisciplinary team in symptom assessment and management.
Sessions
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3.1 Principles of assessment
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- describe the importance of impeccable and holistic assessments in palliative care
- understand the association of trajectories and symptom assessment.
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- Impeccable palliative care assessment
- Anticipating likely symptoms
- Comprehensive and multidimensional assessments
- Case study – Herbert’s story
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3.2 Assessing palliative symptoms
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- outline common palliative care symptoms
- describe contributing factors which can influence the symptom experience of a person with a life-limiting condition
- outline the importance of consistent assessment approaches including the use of validated palliative care assessment tools.
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- Common palliative symptoms
- Ensuring consistent assessment approaches
- Case study – Herbert six months later
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3.3 Evidence-based symptom management
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- describe the key components of evidence based palliative symptom management
- outline the process to develop the palliative care plan in collaboration with the multidisciplinary team, person with a life-limiting condition and their family.
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- Comprehensive symptom management in palliative care
- Sources of evidence
- Importance of evidence
- Expert opinion – The importance of evidence in palliative care
- Case study – Herbert’s illness progresses
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