AAHPM UNIPAC SERIES, 2nd Edition
Hospice/Palliative Care Training for Physicians
Porter Storey and Carol F. Knight
MaryAnn Liebert, 2003
Available from http://www.liebertpub.com/publication.aspx?pub_id=119&crit=UNIPAC
Individual Booklets $US45 ($US55 outside USA)
Set of 8 Books with CD ROM $US199 ($US224 outside USA)
This is the second edition of the American Academy of Hospice and Palliative Medicine’s (AAHPM) UNIPAC Self-Study Program in hospice and palliative care. The booklets are well set out and follow the recommended format of self-instructional learning including a statement of the learning objectives, a pre-test, reading material, clinical situations for demonstrating knowledge application, a post-test, and references.
There are eight booklets in the series.
The Hospice/Palliative Medicine Approach to End-of-Life Care
Alleviating Psychological and Spiritual Pain in the Terminally Ill
Assessment and Treatment of Pain in the Terminally Ill
Management of Selected Non-Pain Symptoms in the Terminally Ill
Caring for the Terminally Ill – Communication and the Physician’s Role on the Interdisciplinary Team
Ethical and Legal Decision Making When Caring for the Terminally Ill
The Hospice/Palliative Medicine Approach to Caring for Patients with HIV/AIDS
The Hospice/Palliative Care Approach to Caring for Pediatric Patients.
I found these booklets enjoyable and user friendly. The correct answers for the pre-tests and the questions asked in the clinical vignettes are given, but not those for the post-tests. Provision of these answers would improve the booklets’ appeal outside USA, whilst still allowing American Physicians to submit their answers (and money) to AAHPM for CME points.
These booklets are a valuable educational resource for anyone wishing to learn about palliative care or to refresh their knowledge. They will be particularly valuable to anybody involved in teaching palliative care.
Roger Woodruff
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health, Melbourne, Australia
(July 2005)
