Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jul;25(4):100323.
doi: 10.1016/j.clinme.2025.100323. Epub 2025 May 8.

Clinically assisted nutrition and hydration at the end of life

Andrew Davies  1
Affiliations
Review

Clinically assisted nutrition and hydration at the end of life

Andrew Davies. Clin Med (Lond). 2025 Jul.

Abstract

The initiation, continuance or discontinuance of clinically assisted hydration and nutrition are some of the most challenging decisions in patients near the end of life. This article reviews the limited evidence to support or otherwise these medical treatments, and provides an overview of relevant clinical practice guidance. Essentially, decisions need to be individualised, and importantly regularly reviewed to ensure that the objectives of treatment are being achieved.

Keywords: Clinically assisted hydration; Clinically assisted nutrition; Palliative care; Palliative medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Prof Davies is the chief investigator on the CHELsea II trial (cluster randomised trial of clinically assisted hydration in the last days of life) which is funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research (grant number – 131687). Prof Davies is a member of the Editorial Board of Clinical Medicine.

Similar articles

See all similar articles

Cited by

References

    1. Davies A., Barry C., Barclay S. Uncertainties: what is the role of clinically-assisted hydration in the last days of life? BMJ. 2023;380 doi: 10.1136/bmj-2022-072116. - DOI - PubMed
    1. Buchan E.J., Haywood A., Syrmis W., Good P. Medically assisted hydration for adults receiving palliative care. Cochrane Database Syst Rev. 2023;12 doi: 10.1002/14651858.CD006273.pub4. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Cochrane Library, Comments on medically assisted hydration for adults receiving palliative care. https://www.cochranelibrary.com/cdsr/doi/10.1002/14651858.CD006273.pub4/..., (accessed 16 March 2025). - DOI
    1. Neuberger J., Aaronovitch D., Bonner T., et al. Department of Health; London: 2013. More Care, Less Pathway. A review of the Liverpool Care Pathway.
    1. Hayes J., Bruera E., Crawford G., et al. Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer (MASCC) expert opinion/guidance on the use of clinically assisted hydration in patients with advanced cancer. Support Care Cancer. 2024;32:228. doi: 10.1007/s00520-024-08421-6. - DOI - PMC - PubMed