Palliative Care Guide for GPs

1. General Practitioner Hub

Whether you have experience with palliative care or not, the people in your care will look to you for help. The CareSearch General Practitioner Hub is there to help you with evidence-based information and resources fit for practice across the life course.

2. Pathways and Frameworks

There are many ways to deliver best practice palliative care. To help you find the most appropriate pathway for your community and practice start with CareSearch’s section on pathways and frameworks.

3. Symptoms

Many GPs find physical treatment and care for the patient with palliative care needs challenging. For guidance on some of the more worrisome symptoms such as fatigue, loss of appetite, breathing problems, and pain check out the CareSearch Symptoms section.

4. Psychosocial Complexity and Distress

Psychological, social, and existential treatment are key elements of palliative care that GPs often ask for more support with CareSearch can help with information on Psychosocial Complexity and Distress.

5. Community Centre

Supporting the person with a life-limiting illness and their carers and family is an integral part of palliative care. GPs can help people to understand what is happening and what to expect by providing them with resources you can all trust. Start with CareSearch’s Patient and Carer booklet or provide resources in their language, and then recommend they explore the CareSearch Community Centre to learn more when ready.

6. Communication Starters

Effective communication is part of planning care but talking about death and dying can be hard. Find the words to initiate these difficult conversations by downloading the CareSearch Communication Starters document. (159kb pdf)

7. GPs Checklist for a Home Death

Where and when death will occur is generally uncertain. But if your patients wants to die at home use the CareSearch Checklist for a Home Death (314kb pdf) to start preparing everyone.

8. Following up the Bereaved

Following up the bereaved is critical and, while it often requires little more than simple reassurance, GPs need to know when help is needed. CareSearch has information to help you recognise and respond to the signs.

9. Resources and Tools

Because every death is unique, CareSearch has a repository of resources and tools for you to access what you need, when you need it.

10. Medicare Benefits Schedules

Providing access to care depends on sustainable practice. CareSearch has up-to-date lists of Medicare Benefits Schedule items all eligible members of the team are appropriately supported.