Nausea and Vomiting in Palliative Care

Course Overview

Nausea and vomiting are symptoms that are commonly experienced by patients with advanced disease. This Ausmed Course explores why this is the case and focuses on strategies to manage nausea and vomiting to maintain the comfort of the individual.

Topics

• Pathophysiology of nausea and vomiting
• Assessment of nausea and vomiting
• Pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions to reduce nausea and vomiting

Need

Nausea and vomiting are distressing experiences for people with a variety of advanced and progressive illnesses. There can be frequent, acute bursts of nausea and vomiting, but are often chronic, extending for long periods of time.

Nausea and vomiting impact on a person’s day-to-day activities and on their quality of life, and can lead to additional health problems such as dehydration, electrolyte imbalance and/or malnutrition, adding to a person’s already traumatic experience.

Given the tenet of palliative care is the comfort of the individual, healthcare professionals are in a unique position to assist in alleviating and/or providing symptomatic relief of nausea and vomiting.

Purpose

The purpose of this Ausmed Course is to present the best-available evidence for clinical practice in the management of nausea and vomiting in palliative care settings.

Learning Outcomes

• Describe the pathophysiology of nausea and vomiting.
• Explain how a comprehensive assessment is undertaken of nausea and vomiting.
• Describe the interventions for reducing nausea and vomiting.

Target Audience

This Ausmed Course is relevant to all healthcare professionals, particularly registered nurses working in palliative care, aged care, and acute and community care settings.

Disclosure

No conflict of interest exists for anyone in the position to control content for this activity. Wherever possible, generic or non-proprietary names of medications or products have been used.

Educator