title: The Use of Emergency Medication Kits in Community Palliative Care: An Exploratory Survey of Views of Current Practice in Australian Home-Based Palliative Care Services.
abstract: Improving symptom management for palliative care patients has obvious benefits for patients and advantages for the clinicians, as workload demands and work-related stress can be reduced when the emergent symptoms of patients are managed in a timely manner. The use of emergency medication kits (EMKs) can provide such timely symptom relief. The purpose of this study was to conduct a survey of a local service to examine views on medication management before and after the implementation of an EMK and to conduct a nationwide prevalence survey examining the use of EMKs in Australia. Most respondents from community palliative care services indicated that EMKs were not being supplied to palliative care patients but believed such an intervention could improve patient care.
authors.affiliation: Formerly Calvary Centre for Palliative Care Research, Australian Catholic University, Watson, Australia Institute of Child Protection Studies, Australian Catholic University, Watson, Australia tracey.bullen@acu.edu.au.
authors.forename: Tracey
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Bullen
authors.affiliation: Formerly Calvary Centre for Palliative Care Research, Australian Catholic University, Watson, Australia Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Brisbane, Australia.
authors.forename: John P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Rosenberg
authors.affiliation: Clare Holland House, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Bradley
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Smith
authors.affiliation: Clare Holland House, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Kate
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Maher
mesh_terms: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000932:Antiemetics / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001315:Australia; D004358:Drug Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D006699:Home Care Services; D006801:Humans; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000379:methods*; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires
chemical_list: D000701:Analgesics, Opioid; D000932:Antiemetics; D006993:Hypnotics and Sedatives
keywords: community palliative care; emergency medication; symptom management