Centre for Policy on Ageing



Intermittent subcutaneous injections for symptom control in hospice care — a retrospective investigation
Author(s)	Marijo Letizia, JoAnn Shenk, Tammy Dee Jones
Journal title	The Hospice Journal, vol 15, no 2, 2000
Pages	pp 1-12
Source	Haworth Document Delivery Service, Haworth Press, 10 Alice Street, Binghamton, NY 13904-1580, USA.
Keywords	Drugs ; Symptoms ; Terminal care ; Clinical surveys.
Annotation	An alternative route to oral medications used by some hospices is intermittent injections of medications using an indwelling subcutaneous butterfly needle. The nurse places the infusion sets and instructs caregivers on administration. This study describes the use of this method for symptom relief in a home hospice programme. A chart review was conducted of the 191 patients who received medications by this route during 3 calendar years; 77% had cancer. Further data is given on hospice care involving this method. Results showed that side effects from this medication and problems of administration were rarely reported, thereby supporting the practicality of this method in hospice care. (KJ/RH).
Accession Number	CPA-001122201 A
Classmark	LLD: CT: LV: 3G
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...from the Ageinfo database published by Centre for Policy on Ageing.