Hospice Palliative Care
Book Reviews

Dr. Woodruff, MD
(Australia)

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ETHICS IN END-OF-LIFE DECISIONS IN SOCIAL WORK PRACTICE

Ellen L. Csikai and Elizabeth Chaiatin
Lyceum Books Inc., 2006
261 pp
ISBN 0-925065-52-8
RRP $US 39.95

The medical social worker has always been a key player in hospice and palliative care teams. I have to admit that I have always taken it for granted that a new social worker joining the team brings with them the experience and insights that are so important for interdisciplinary patient care. Well, help is at hand for those new to the minefield of hospice and palliative care. This book deals with the clinical and ethical problems that are likely to be encountered in end-of-life care. It is well set out and clearly written. Chapters cover medical ethics, ethical issues at the end-of-life, advance care planning, hospice and palliative care, the process of end-of-life decision making, analysis and resolution of ethical problems, and confidentiality and privacy. The National Association of Social Workers (USA) Standards for Social Work Practice in Palliative and End-of-Life Care is included as an appendix. This book is written for social workers but I thought that many nurses and junior doctors working in palliative care would also find it useful. It certainly deserves a place on the palliative care service library shelf.

DELIVERING CANCER AND PALLIATIVE CARE EDUCATION

Lorna Foyle and Janis Hostad (Eds)
Radcliffe Publishing, 2004
235 pp
ISBN 1-85775-978-8
RRP £27.95

This book is for those responsible for professional education in cancer and palliative care, which continue to be rapidly expanding fields of medical practice. Here you will find discussions of planning and designing courses, how to engage your students, monitoring quality, and assessing outcomes. A useful resource for anyone involved in cancer and palliative care education.

CORE CURRICULUM FOR PROFESSIONAL EDUCATION IN PAIN 3e

Task Force on Professional Education, International Association for the Study of Pain

IASP Press, 2005 240 pp
ISBN 0-931092-65-5
RRP $US 20.00

If you are involved in professional education about pain, you need to have this book. It provides a detailed, referenced curriculum that covers the nature, assessment, and treatment of pain. The second half of the book covers common pain states. An extremely useful resource for anyone planning or revising a professional pain education program.

Roger Woodruff,
Director of Palliative Care, Austin Health,
Melbourne, Australia

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