Palliative Care Nursing: principles and evidence for practice

"It has been a true pleasure to have had the opportunity to peruse the second edition of Palliative Care Nursing... This book, authored predominately by UK-based experts, succeeds in presenting sophisticated thoughts in readily accessible language... Each chapter begins with a summary of key points, with both classic and new relevant literature well integrated into the text. I have also been particularly impressed with the editors' final chapter, in which they synthesize a number of crucial issues for the future development of palliative care... this second edition makes a significant contribution to both the palliative care literature as well as to nursing literature."
Carol Tishelman, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden

"I find Palliative Care Nursing a very attractive book for nurses but also for other disciplines to learn about nursing and to learn about palliative care. The book is voluminous, informative and educationally well constructed. Frameworks and models in this book will give nurses the opportunity to make up their own process to offer support and be a carer for the incurably ill person and his/her family as a skilled companion... . This book gives the possibility for nurses to spread one clear voice about palliative care nursing. Congratulations to all the authors... ."
Martine De Vlieger, Palliatieve Hulpverlening Antwerpen v.z.w., University of Antwerp, Belgium

"This book should be compulsory reading for nurses and other health care workers who are involved in the care of people in the final stages of life. It provides a comprehensive account of the major issues (clinical, professional, sociological and political) that confront contemporary palliative care while also offering strategies to move forward. The 'real world' of palliative care is described and critiqued and the rhetoric is dispensed with. This book is a vital resource for nursing practice, learning and teaching."
Associate Professor, Peter Hudson (RN, PhD). Director of the Centre for Palliative Care Research and Education, St Vincent's Hospital and The University of Melbourne, Australia.

"This is an excellent book for anyone completing either an academic qualification or who wants to understand the who, what and where of palliative care both in the UK and abroad. Its detail is balanced with case studies and practical illustrations that bring the academic nature of its writing to life...For reference purposes for anyone completing academic work it has to be an absolute must."
Nursing Times

"The book is very user friendly with key points outlined at the beginning of each chapter and a comprehensive list of further reading and references at the end. Although the writing is easily accessible the concepts and theories are thought provoking."
Jean Buchanan, Community Liaison sister, Sheffield

The second edition of this innovative textbook has been extensively revised and updated to reflect new global developments in palliative care. This textbook reviews current research and examines the evidence base for palliative care policy and practice. Over a third of the chapters are newly commissioned from leading international contributors.

Building on the widely acclaimed original edition, the textbook focuses on palliative care for adults in a variety of care environments. The first three sections use a novel framework - the trajectory of life-limiting illness - to cover key issues including:

• What happens to people as they become ill
• How individuals cope as they near death and are dying
• How families and friends deal with bereavement and loss

The final section addresses contemporary issues in nursing and inter-professional working.

The book is written with helpful overviews and in an informative and reader-friendly style. There are numerous examples of clinical situations and research studies which are examined in depth to illustrate debates in palliative care. The textbook spans the range of end-of-life contexts which are of relevance to practitioners, educationalists and researchers.

Palliative Care Nursing is essential reading for post-qualification nursing students and all nurses and health and social care professionals who provide care to people with advanced illness and those who are near the end of life. This broad ranging critical text will be invaluable to students and practitioners working with people and their families near the end of life.

Sheila Payne is an applied social scientist with a background in nursing. Over the last twenty years she has been involved in leading and contributing to research and teaching about research methods in palliative care. She has a special interest in end-of-life care for older people, family caregivers and bereavement support. She currently holds the Help the Hospices Chair in Hospice Studies based at the International Observatory on End of Life Care at Lancaster University, UK. She is also co-director of a large five year programme of collaborative research and development called the Cancer Experiences Collaborative. Sheila has published widely in academic and professional journals.

Jane Seymour, Sue Ryder Care Professor in Palliative and End of Life Studies, School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine & Health Sciences, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, UK

Reader in Palliative Care, Centre for Health and Social Care, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK