Palliative Care and Pain Therapy

Recommended Prerequisites

Ethics  Pharmacology, Propedeutics.

Teaching Methods

Lectures and theoretical practical lessons and discussion of case studies.

Learning Outcomes

To recognize the importance/specificities of palliative care in different period of life

To identify early and treat/manage pain and other symptoms

To develop communicational skills for each specific case

To recognize the importance of palliative care and pain treatment in maximizing of quality of life

Demonstrate capacity for ethical reflection in the analysis of complex issues inherent in the practice of palliative care and pain management

To identify pain as a multifactorial symptom/disease. To diagnose different types of pain

To know practical principles of pharmacological treatment of pain and side effects, drug interactions and main routes of administration

To be able to reduce medication errors

To recognize non-pharmacological interventions to pain

To develop strategies to control pain

To recognize the need for multidisciplinary intervention.

Work Placement(s)

No

Syllabus

Contextualization of palliative care – definition and scope. Principles and philosophy of palliative care. The RNCCI, constitution and objective

Palliative care services integrated into the Health System; Planning and implementation of palliative care services

Symptomatic control, general principles. Urgencies and emergencies in palliative care.

Family support; the care in agony;

Communication and major ethical issue in end of life care

Semiology and pain taxonomy

Evaluation of a patient with pain

Pain in Oncology

Chronic neuropathic pain

Pharmacological therapy of pain

Non-pharmacological therapy and psychological support in the treatment of pain.

Head Lecturer(s)

Marilia Assunção Rodrigues Ferreira Dourado

Assessment Methods

Continuous Assessment
Continuous assessment (class participation, quality of participation and practical clinical reasoning demonstration in the analysis of scientific issues Attendance classes: 50.0%
Mini Tests: 50.0%

Bibliography

A. Barbosa, I. Galriça Neto, (Eds), Manual de Cuidados Paliativos, 2ª Ed. Rev. e Aum.,  Lisboa, Faculdade de Medicina da Universidade de Lisboa/Centro de Bioética/Núcleo de Cuidados Paliativos, 2010

Wall & Melzack's Textbook of Pain, 6th Ed.

Practical Management of Pain,5th Ed