Addiction issues have rarely been seen as a priority in palliative care. Yet unmanaged
substance use can make the diagnosis and treatment of pain and psychiatric symptoms …

Palliative care with terminally ill drug addicts is a major challenge for medical professionals
to face. With growing problems of prescription drug abuse in this country, the problem is only …

Background The spectrum of substance use disorders (SUDs) is characterized by increasing
degrees of craving, compulsive use, loss of control, and continued use despite harm (see …

Background Advanced, life limiting illness and comorbid addiction/history of substance
abuse combine to present unique clinical challenges for professionals working in palliative …

STEVEN D. PASSIK AND KENNETH L. KIRSH underserved areas. Although not specific to
rural and underserved areas, the study by Serra-Prat and colleagues13 examined the …

Outcomes 1. Identify misconceptions regarding pain management in patients with opioid use
disorder. 2. Assess the need for further palliative medicine provider training in treating …

Background: Pain and opioid management are core ambulatory palliative care skills.
Existing literature on how to manage opioid misuse/use disorder excludes patients found in …

Since the 1960s, palliative care has grown steadily to become a common feature of
healthcare systems worldwide. While palliative care has improved tremendously for treating …

D ame Cicely Saunders, founder of the modern hospice movement in the 1960s, coined the
term ''total pain,''which embodied the notion that pain, endured by those facing a life-limiting …

Chemical dependency in patients at the end of life raises complex clinical challenges.
Particularly alarming is the sharp increase in controlled prescription drug abuse in the …