END OF LIFE: PALLIATIVE CARE AND EUTHANASIA

Module 1 – Foundations in Palliative Care – Dr Jackie Campbell 

Palliative care is part of daily practice for most veterinarians, but as clients explore advancing therapeutic options for their pets and we become better at managing comorbidities for longer, how ready are we to navigate the final months with our patients? Are we training and supporting our teams to manage the complex medical and emotional decision making needed? Do we know how to define limits of care to prevent futility? What can we learn from human healthcare that will help us with these increasingly important challenges?

In this module, we explore some of the foundations of palliative care in practice, including:

• What’s new, and why palliative care matters now more than ever in modern veterinary medicine
• The benefits of promoting palliative care in your practice and how to resource your teams to deliver on complex patient care plans
• Understanding disease trajectory, prognosis and goals of care with your clients
• Resources you will need and invaluable consultation frameworks.

Module 2 – Palliative Pain Management – Dr Jackie Campbell 

Chronic pain is a complex patient experience, and the decisions we make in end of life care can have life changing impacts for our patients. The therapeutic plan must match the patient’s needs with the client’s needs. This module focuses on how veterinary teams can understand the experience of chronic pain and how to design treatment plans with a palliative care lens. These plans need to be achievable, practical, and in line with goals of care established by the pet’s family.

Here we review some of the key clinical resources and guidelines available to us in practice. We’ll discuss medical decision making around chronic pain, including how we approach polypharmacy and symptom prioritisation, and explore some of the key nonpharmacological approaches we should all be integrating into our pain toolkits. 

Module 3 – Navigating the Euthanasia Appointment – Dr Jackie Campbell

Supporting a client as their pet approaches euthanasia can be a challenge for the entire veterinary team. Through recognising each of your client’s needs, you can deliver tailored patient care and make the euthanasia experience more manageable for everyone.

In this module we touch on some of the common causes of stress for clinical teams and highlight ways we can reduce the risk of complications and make saying goodbye a little gentler for all. We’ll share tips and tricks and favoured pre-euthanasia sedation protocols. We invite you to come and refresh on the latest best practices for supporting families during that final and most important appointment.

Module 4 – Supporting Grieving Clients – Rosie Overfield

For many pet owners, losing a pet means mourning the constant shadow of comfort that has accompanied them through various phases of their life. Research shows that the grief following the loss of a pet can be comparable to losing a person, and often more complicated. Following Dr Jackie Campbell’s euthanasia module, Rosie Overfield will share useful and practical information on:

• Grief theory and purpose
• Common grief responses
• Communicating with clients experiencing loss and bereavement
• Resources and support pathways to offer in your practice.

Module 5 – Implementing a Palliative Care Program in Practice – Rosie Overfield

Palliative care medicine requires a mindset shift from routine clinical practice. It involves an acceptance that ‘neither sickness or death are a failure of medicine, but the natural progression of biology’. Done well, a palliative and EOL care program can benefit the client, the patient, the veterinary team, and the practice bottom line.

This final module will draw together the key elements of this program to help you develop a palliative care program. This will include:

• Five key elements for a successful palliative care and EOL program
• Presenting the business case to directors for a palliative care and EOL program
• Key competencies required across the veterinary team
• Practical implementation: auditing and implementation tools you can use to create your own successful program.