title: A consensus review on the development of palliative care for patients with chronic and progressive neurological disease.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  The European Association of Palliative Care Taskforce, in collaboration with the Scientific Panel on Palliative Care in Neurology of the European Federation of Neurological Societies (now the European Academy of Neurology), aimed to undertake a review of the literature to establish an evidence-based consensus for palliative and end of life care for patients with progressive neurological disease, and their families.
  
  
  METHODS
  A search of the literature yielded 942 articles on this area. These were reviewed by two investigators to determine the main areas and the subsections. A draft list of papers supporting the evidence for each area was circulated to the other authors in an iterative process leading to the agreed recommendations.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Overall there is limited evidence to support the recommendations but there is increasing evidence that palliative care and a multidisciplinary approach to care do lead to improved symptoms (Level B) and quality of life of patients and their families (Level C). The main areas in which consensus was found and recommendations could be made are in the early integration of palliative care (Level C), involvement of the wider multidisciplinary team (Level B), communication with patients and families including advance care planning (Level C), symptom management (Level B), end of life care (Level C), carer support and training (Level C), and education for all professionals involved in the care of these patients and families (Good Practice Point).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The care of patients with progressive neurological disease and their families continues to improve and develop. There is a pressing need for increased collaboration between neurology and palliative care.
authors.affiliation: Palliative Medicine, Wisdom Hospice, Rochester, UK.|University of Kent, Kent, UK.
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Oliver
authors.affiliation: Service de soins palliatifs, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Vaudois, Lausanne, Switzerland.
authors.forename: G D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Borasio
authors.affiliation: Palliative Care Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Instituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy.|European Palliative Care Research Center NTNU, Trondheim, Norway.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Caraceni
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Academic Medical Centre, University of Amsterdam, Amsterdam, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: de Visser
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurology, Kaiser Franz Josef Hospital, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: W
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Grisold
authors.affiliation: Institute of Nursing Science and Practice, Paracelsus Medical University, Salzburg, Austria.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Lorenzl
authors.affiliation: Fondazione Assistenza e Ricerca in Oncologia, Turin, Italy.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Veronese
authors.affiliation: Department of Palliative Medicine, University Hospital, Cologne, Germany.|EAN Subspeciality Scientific Panel on Palliative Care, Vienna, Austria.
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Voltz
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D009103:Multiple Sclerosis / Q000628:therapy*; D009422:Nervous System Diseases; D019636:Neurodegenerative Diseases / Q000628:therapy*; D009462:Neurology / Q000592:standards*; D010166:Palliative Care / Q000592:standards*; D012955:Societies, Medical / Q000592:standards*; D013727:Terminal Care / Q000592:standards*
keywords: collaborative care; consensus; end of life; palliative care; progressive neurological disease