Palliative Care Book of the Month and other Book Reviews
Palliative Care Book of the Month
OXFORD TEXTBOOK OF PALLIATIVE NURSING 3e
Betty R. Ferrell and Nessa Coyle (Eds)
Oxford University Press, 2010
1381pp
ISBN 978-0-19-539134-3
RRP $US116.05, £76.00
‘Compassion and Competence’ is the theme of this book. And that’s what you get—the very soul of good nursing.
This is the third edition of Ferrell and Coyle’s Textbook of Palliative Nursing. It has been updated and has grown in size, but more importantly it is more rounded and complete. As before, the book is divided into a number of sections. These include General Principles, Symptom Management, Psychosocial Support, Spiritual Care, Special Patient Populations, End-of-Live Care Across Settings, Pediatric Palliative Care, Special Issues for the Nurse in End-of-Life Care, and International Models of Palliative Care. Each chapter begins with a list of key points and ends with a summary or conclusion. The material is well set out and accessible and is well-indexed. The text is thoroughly referenced, and most of the references seem up to date. The use of case studies throughout the text keeps one focused on the practical, nursing aspects of care. Unusual though it may seem, I did not find anything to quibble about and thought it a most impressive book.
This book is quite distinct from The Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine—it’s all about quality nursing—and it deserves a spot on the shelf next to OTPM in any and every hospice and palliative care unit.
Roger Woodruff
(November 2010)
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Other Book Reviews
PALLIATIVE CARE FOR ADVANCED ALZHEIMER’S AND DEMENTIA
Guidelines and Standards for Evidence-Based Care
Gary A. Martin and Marwan N. Sabbagh (Eds)
Springer Publishing, 2010
313 pp
ISBN 978-082610675-9
RRP $US 60.00 £53.50
As a medical oncologist and palliative care physician, I have always had difficulty with patients with dementia. As an oncologist, one struggles to know what level or intensity of treatment is appropriate. In palliative care, you are denied those in-depth conversations that allow you some insight into who the person really is. But here is a book that sets out to apply the principles and practices of interdisciplinary palliative care (about which I know a little) to improve the care of patients with advanced dementia.
The book is divided into four sections. The first is an introduction to the professional management of advanced dementia. The second is about protecting dignity, establishing an environment and care-giving standards; chapters address personhood, management of behavioural problems, pain, and the appropriate use of medications. The next section is about activities of daily living and has chapters on eating and nutrition, dressing and grooming, bowel and bladder management, ambulation and mobility, and bathing. The final section is about other health care needs and includes discussions about activities, cultural diversity, health care decisions, legal options, and grief and bereavement.
This book is written as a guide for professionals caring for people with advanced dementia and I felt comfortable with the principles and practices espoused. It advocates a system of care, the principles and practices of which are similar to what I do for patients without dementia. I think this would also be a useful and user-friendly resource for palliative care professionals whose practice brings them into contact with significant numbers of patients with dementia.
***
TELL ME THE TRUTH
Conversations with my patients about life and death
Ranjana Srivastava
Viking (Penguin) 2010
306pp
ISBN 978-0-670-07440-2
RRP $AU32.95
This book is not currently listed at amazon.com or amazon.co.uk, but can be obtained from www.fishpond.com.au
Written by a young Melbourne oncologist, this is a collection of 22 short stories about dealing with patients with cancer and their families. Her professional goal is to be open and honest and holistic, which is quite refreshing; we may all pay lip-service to these objectives, but Ranjana sets out to practise what she preaches. The problems she describes—some are sad, some are funny—all ring true. Repeatedly, she emphasises seeing the person inside the patient. Also well described is the struggle, the fine line, between being distanced and getting too involved. For the lay reader, this is a frank description of the truth, but told in a way that should not offend. For people who work in oncology and palliative care, this should be an enjoyable read with plenty of issues on which to reflect; perhaps it should be required reading for trainees in oncology. The book had one extra appeal to me as I feel the professional goals she has set are admirable, and I am almost certain that one of her mentors early in her training, from whom she drew much professional inspiration, is a person that I helped train many years ago.
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CANCER PAIN
From Molecules to Suffering
Judith A. Paice, Rae F. Bell, Eija A. Kalso and Olaitan A. Soyannwo (Eds)
International Association for the Study of Pain (IASP), 2010
354 pp
ISBN 978-0-931092-81-7
RRP $US 75.00 £30.00
This book evolved from an IASP-sponsored international conference and brings together discussions of the cutting-edge of developments in our understanding of the basic biological, clinical and social aspects of cancer pain; hence the title from Molecules to Suffering, which I presume refers to the breadth of coverage, not a consequential sequence. What do we know about the molecular mechanisms involved with malignant bone pain, chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain, and cancer pain in general? What do we know about the mechanism of opioid tolerance, the effectiveness of opioid switching, and other drugs that act against opioid tolerance? There are chapters on new drugs for cancer pain as well as the methodological issues in cancer pain trials. Three chapters deal with the various psychological aspects of cancer pain and its treatment. The final section is about making a difference through education and includes a chapter on the special problems faced by those in the developing world. This book will be of interest to those involved in both basic and clinical research into cancer pain.
***
END OF LIFE
The Essential Guide to Caring
Mary Jordan and Judy Carole Kauffmann
Hammersmith Press, 2010
179 pp
ISBN 978 1905 140275
RRP £14.99 $US29.99
This book is to provide advice and support for people who are caring for those approaching the end of their lives. There are chapters on practical issues (Wills, advance directives, etc), helping the dying to find peace, funerals and mourning, grief and bereavement, and legacies and memorials. There is a separate chapter on end-of-life care for people with mental and cognitive impairment. Arguably, the most important is the chapter on caring for carers. This book covers the personal, social and emotional aspects of end-of-life care quite well, as well as the practical tasks involved. I felt a little more clinical information would have made the book more useful, particularly for someone caring for a loved one at home. What are the signs of impending death? A few pages on simple remedies for common problems. When to seek professional assistance. I grant that it would be impossible to write a book that covered all eventualities, and what I liked about this book was the authors’ concern to help those who find themselves in the position of carers.
***
Roger Woodruff (Australia), an IAHPC Board Member
(November 2010)
Dr. Woodruff is a Lifetime member of the IAHPC Board and his biography may be viewed at:
http://www.hospicecare.com/Bio/r_woodruff.htm
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