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CASE NOTES
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PROGRAMME INFO |
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DrÌýMark PorterÌýgives listeners the low-down on what the medical profession does and doesn't know. Each week an expert in the studio tacklesÌýa particular topic and there are reports from around the UK on the health of the nation - and the NHS.
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Contact Case Notes |
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LISTEN AGAIN Ìý30 min |
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PRESENTER |
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"I spend half my week practising medicine and the other half writing and talking about it as a GP in Gloucestershire. Working on Case Notes has been a boon for both me and my patients. One of the principal aims of the programme is to keep our listeners up-to-date with the latest developments in healthcare, and to accomplish that I get to interview a wide range of specialists at the cutting edge of medicine. A rare privilege that ensures our listeners aren't the only ones to learn something new."
Mark Porter
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PROGRAMME DETAILS |
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 Full programme transcript >>
Palliative Care
Ìý
In this episode of Case Notes, Dr Mark Porter looks atÌýpalliative care – a burgeoning speciality dedicated to looking after people whose illnesses are advanced, progressive and incurable, with the aim of achieving the best possible quality of life for both the patient and their family.
HisÌýguest in the studio is John Ellershaw, Professor of Palliative Medicine at the University of Liverpool and Director of the Marie Curie Palliative Care Institute.
Morphine
When it comes to treating moderate to severe pain, there is nothing better than morphine and related drugs from the opiate family, but they have a mixed reputation.Ìý
It's often thought that opiates cause unwantedÌýside effectsÌýsuch asÌýsedation, loss of control and addiction, but in reality, when used properly, drugs like morphine are extremely safe, and the only troublesome side effect with long term use tends to be constipation.
Dr Claud Regnard, Consultant in Palliative Care Medicine at St Oswald’s Hospital in Newcastle,Ìýhelps Mark to correct the misconceptions that surround morphine.
End of Life Care Programme
The NHS's End of Life Care Programme is designed to help a range of different carers meet the physical, psychological, social and spiritual needs of the dying.Ìý
This includes the Liverpool Care Pathway – a guide to carers to help them identify and deal with problems that may arise in the last few days or hours before a person dies.
It was developed to take the best standards of care from within hospices and extend them to hospitals and other settings.
David Wilkinson, a staff nurse at the Whiston Hospital on Merseyside, describes howÌýthe pathway forms the backbone of the care of the terminally ill.
And Mark hears howÌýadoption of the programme varies depending on where the person is being cared for. |
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RELATED LINKS
´óÏó´«Ã½ Relationships: Terminal Illness
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