Palliative Care

Question 1

Maintaining patient comfort - medications

Answer 1

Symptom relief
Only give essential meds
Oral meds are normally converted to another route if the patient has difficulty swallowing

Question 2

What is the smoothest route of administration of medicines?

Answer 2

Subcutaenous infusion

Question 3

It is safe to administer codeine and morphine at the same time?

Answer 3

False

- stop codeine before initiating morphine

Question 4

How do you convert dosage of oral codeine to oral morphine….patient is on 60mg codeine 4 times daily (total daily dose 240mg), how much morphine is this equivalent to?

Answer 4

24mg

Question 5

How do you convert dosage of oral morphine -> sub cut morphine?

Answer 5

Subcut morphine is twice as potent as oral morphine. Therefore, divide by 2

Question 6

Side effects of morphine?

Answer 6

Opioid toxicity

Respiratory depression

Question 7

Describe the features of opioid toxicity

Answer 7

Hallucinations
Twitching
Myoclonus
Drowsiness

Question 8

Verification of death

Answer 8

Check for spontaneous movement
Check for reaction to voice and pain 
Palpate 2 marjor pulses for 1 minute 
Inspect eyes
Auscultate heart and lungs for 1 minute

Question 9

Verification of death - how long should you feel 2 major pulses for ?

Answer 9

1 minute each