Module Goal:
To advance healthcare professionals' knowledge, understanding and skills in the assessment and management of pain and common symptoms in patients with life-threatening or life-limiting illness.

 

Module Content:
This module will facilitate increased understanding of the symptoms experienced by palliative care patients with cancer and non-cancer diagnoses. Students will be introduced to clinically relevant pain, symptom, burden and palliative care needs assessment tools and the application of these in the delivery of patient-centred care and service development. Ethical and legal considerations in the management of pain and symptoms will be explored. Within their own disciplinary perspectives, students will learn with, from and about the role of other professions and disciplines in the holistic assessment and management of pain and other symptoms. Methods of comprehensive patient assessment and interprofessional approaches to pain and symptom management will be emphasised. The impact of pain and chronic symptoms on patients/families, health care professionals and health systems will be examined.