American pharmacists Kathryn Walker and Lynn McPherson discuss practical tips when dispensing end of life care medications in both hospital, home and hospice environments, following the publication of their article in the Journal of Supportive Oncology.

The authors present practical advice such as how "not all teaspoons are created equal," giving inconsistent dosages. Another tip they provide is the different ways in which to quantify opioid use. For example: Instead of asking ‘how many tablets do you take a day at home?’ which may be seen as accusatory or invasive, they suggest asking ‘how many tablets per day do you need to stay comfortable?’, which conveys that they believe in the patient and the fact that they need opioids to achieve comfort.

The article ‘50 Practical Medication Tips at End of Life’ is published in the November/December issue of the Journal of Supportive Oncology, and an abstract is available online. A PDF of their presentation is also available online, which contains the full list of the 50 tips.

The second part of the video is also available on YouTube. 

The video is distributed by IMNG Medical Media, a media company which distributes medical news, owned by publishers Elsivier.