Hospice Palliative Care
Book Reviews

Dr. Woodruff, MD
(Australia)

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ABC of PALLIATIVE CARE. 2nd Edition

Marie Fallon and Geoffrey Hanks (Eds)

BMJ Books, Blackwell Publishing, 2006
88 pp
ISBN 1-4051-3079-2
RRP £21.99, $US44.95

This is a lot more than the primer of palliative care that I expected. The list of contributors is outstanding (with the exception of your reviewer, who only wrote a page and a half). The coverage is excellent and includes non-malignant disease, children, the last 48 hours, bereavement, communication and complementary therapies in addition to the standard symptom control topics. Set out in a larger A4 format with liberal use of tables and lists, the text is easy to follow and user-friendly. The inclusion of plenty of photographs, diagnostic images and artwork adds to the appeal. There is a lot of information and sound advice in this slim volume, enough to make it a useful day-to-day quick reference for residents and nurses working in palliative care.

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THE MINISTER

A Member of the Health Care Team

Clarice A. Schultz

Trafford Publishing, 2003
83 pp
ISBN 141201053-5
RRP $US14.00

How can a patient’s own minister (as distinct from the hospital’s chaplain or pastoral care worker) best fit in with the hospital team to provide continuing spiritual support for a sick parishioner? This books is about the barriers that exist between the people who work in hospitals and ministers visiting from outside – ministers seen from the nurses’ perspective, and the ministers’ view of the hospital and staff. While I agree that patient’s own minister, having known them before the illness, is the best person to provide spiritual care, I did not really understand why they were the only person who could provide that care. I would hope that the person responsible for pastoral care on a palliative care service would be able to make a good fist of spiritual care in the absence of a patient’s own minister. That said, this little book is packed with insightful observations and practical recommendations regarding the barriers that exist between people who work in hospital and lay people visiting from outside. While it may be of most use to those who minister, I thought it might be very helpful when training palliative care service volunteers.

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THE WORK OF THE CHAPLAIN

Naomi K. Paget and Janet R. McCormack

Judson Press, 2006
136 pp
ISBN 0-8170-1499-5
RRP $US12.00

This book provides an overview of the various settings in which Christian chaplains work in a modern society and describes the chaplain’s roles and responsibilities. There is a chapter on hospice/health-care that points out that budget-sensitive hospital administrators are prone to paying lip service only to the need for spiritual care.

Roger Woodruff

Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health,
Melbourne, Australia

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