The Last Hours of Living: Practical Advice for Clinicians: Summary of Take-Home Lessons

This is the tenth, and the last, article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. Patients in their final days require careful symptom management, and families may need support and coaching as death approaches. Care continues through the death pronouncement, family notification of the death, and bereavement support.

The Last Hours of Living: Practical Advice for Clinicians: Pronouncing Death

This is the ninth article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. In most jurisdictions, local regulations generally require that a physician or nurse pronounce death and complete a death certificate. If hospice is involved, a nurse will generally come to the home and pronounce the patient.

The Last Hours of Living: Practical Advice for Clinicians: Notifying Others of the Death

This is the eighth article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. For patients who die in hospital, the family should be notified if they are not present, and if appropriate they can be approached about autopsy or organ donation. If hospice is involved, the family should be directed to call the hospice.

The Last Hours of Living: When Death Occurs

This is the seventh article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. When death occurs, most local regulations generally require that a physician or nurse pronounce death and complete a death certificate. A local coroner may investigate any death and may perform an autopsy but generally will not become involved when the death was expected or was managed by a hospice. This article discusses what usually happens when a patient dies.

The Last Hours of Living: Dying in Institutions

This is the sixth article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. This article is mainly targeted at healthcare professionals as it contains practical advice for clinicians in charge of providing care to people in the final hours of life.

Practical Advice for Managing Symptoms in Dying Patients

This is the fifth article in a series entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. This article is targeted at health professionals as it contains advice for providing clinical care to people in the final hours of life who have symptoms, other than decreasing levels of consciousness or terminal delirium which have already been discussed in a previous article. See the previous article, Two Roads to Death.

The Last Hours of Living: Two Roads to Death

This is the fourth article in a series of compilations entitled: 'The Last Hours of Living'. This article is mainly targeted at healthcare professionals as it contains practical advice for clinicians in charge of providing care to people in the final hours of life. It discusses the Two Roads to Death and the role of the hospital and community clinician.

Body Changes in the Last Hours and Days of Life (Advice for Patients, Families, Carers)

This is the third article in 'The Last Hours of Living' series for people who are approaching the end of their life, for their families and for their carers. Some parts of it may also be useful for professionals who are caring for someone who is dying, or people who want to plan in advance for their own end of life care.

Preparing for the Last Hours of Life (Advice for Patients, Families, Carers)

This is the second of a series of articles for people who are approaching the end of their life, for their families and for their carers. Some parts of it may also be useful for professionals who are caring for someone who is dying, or people who want to plan in advance for their own end of life care.

Introduction to the Last Hours of Living: Practical Advice for Patients, Families and Carers

This article is the first of a series for people who are approaching the end of their life, for their families and for their carers. Some parts of it may also be useful for professionals who are caring for someone who is dying, or people who want to plan in advance for their own end of life care.

Palliative Care

Palliative care is an approach that improves the quality of life of patients (adults and children) and their families who are facing problems associated with life-threatening illness. It prevents and relieves suffering through the early identification, correct assessment and treatment of pain and other problems, whether physical, psychosocial or spiritual.