Wolters Kluwer Health, a global provider of information for healthcare professionals and students, has added Palliative Care to UpToDate, its evidence-based clinical decision support resource, marking the 22nd medical specialty available to UpToDate subscribers. The newly launched specialty covers a range of topics focused on improving symptoms and providing the best possible quality of life for patients facing serious illness.
The addition of Palliative Care is the result of over two years of extensive collaboration led by Dr. Susan D. Block and Dr. J. Andrew Billings, Editors-in-Chief for Palliative Care. Drs. Block and Billings led a team of over 100 leading palliative care specialists from around the world. The team comprehensively reviewed and graded the body of research and scientific literature on palliative care. The resulting UpToDate topics reflect a range of topics focused on providing patients with relief from the symptoms, pain and stress of a serious illness while improving the quality of life for patients and their families. The team continues to monitor new studies and changes to practice in this evolving field of patient care.
Nearly 150 clinical and patient education topics provide consistent recommendations for an interdisciplinary approach as undertaken by emerging hospital-based palliative care programs. The topics integrate the most current information on palliative care into practice, including both clinical and psychosocial issues. Topics include evidence-based recommendations for assessment and management of pain and non-pain symptoms in palliative care patients across many disciplines.
The new specialty is available now to UpToDate subscribers. Topics can be accessed online and via the UpToDate mobile app.
