SYMPTOMATIC TREATMENT AND PAIN MANAGEMENT OF PALLIATIVE CARE PATIENTS 5 ECTS PAL2

Objectives
• Students will know how to plan, carry out and assess the treatment and management of the symptoms and pain of patients in palliative care and how to counsel the patient and their family members by taking individual needs into account
• Students will understand the concept of total suffering and know how to apply information in their work
• Students will know how to select and apply the appropriate symptom surveys and indicators in performing treatment
• Students will know the principles of safe and effective administration of medicated and unmedicated treatment of patients in palliative care
• Students will know how to act in a multiprofessional team and how to support the symptomatic treatment of patients
• Students will understand the process related to death and to apply their competence in postmortem care by paying attention to the needs of the patient’s family members

Contents
• Underlying mechanisms and treatment of common symptoms (pain, shortness of breath, gastrointestinal tract symptoms, ascites, psychological symptoms, fatigue, cachexia, skin symptoms)
• Pain management for different patient groups, medicated treatment with opioids, in particular, unmedicated pain management
• Medicated and unmedicated treatment of other symptoms
• Symptom surveys and pain indicators
• Multiprofessional teamwork
• Principles of palliative sedation
• Death and postmortem care