A National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List for managing end-of-life symptoms

Abstract

Background: Australians with life-limiting conditions can, with appropriate support, have a home death, if that is their choice. General practitioners (GPs) are essential for coordinating care and managing symptoms. Necessary medicines must be quickly available to provide responsive symptom management in the terminal phase. GPs can facilitate prompt availability of medicines by working collaboratively with pharmacists who have a shared understanding of the required medicines.

Objective: This article explains the development of, and provides information about, the National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List.

Discussion: A group of healthcare professionals with community palliative care expertise (Expert Group) compared the medicines to manage terminal phase symptoms against a set of criteria, choosing four core medicines based on their ability to manage symptoms, cost and ease of use. Creating a standardised National Core Community Palliative Care Medicines List supports clinical communication by providing an accepted baseline for symptom management; however, it should not replace communication between prescribers and pharmacists; rather, it should support collaborative practices.