Symptom Management Resources

Resources for symptom management

Symptom management
- For an introduction to symptom management in palliative care for older people, do the palliAGED Introductory Module: Symptom Management.
- Here you can watch a selection of videos by the Agency for Clinical Innovation:
- Dawn Hooper, Clinical Nurse Consultant, discusses Practical caring issues in palliative care
- Dr Elspeth Correy discusses Clinical issues in end-of-life dementia care with a focus on decision-making.
- To learn more about assessing and managing symptoms, the PCC4U module can help you to develop the knowledge and skills required to identify the health needs of people affected by life-limiting illness
- Marie Curie (UK) has resources for health professionals to understand, assess and manage symptoms in palliative care.
- St. Oswald’s Hospice have Current Learning in Palliative Care (CLIP) 15 minute online tutorials that includes information for individual symptoms.
- Therapeutic Guidelines – Palliative care (version 4, 2016) are available in some organisations or can be purchased.
- The US National Consensus Project for Quality Palliative care has produced a document: Clinical practice guidelines for quality palliative care, 4th edition.
- Canadian Virtual Hospice provides comprehensive information on 17 symptoms and health concerns (for patients, families, and carers).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help patients, families, and carers understand and manage several symptoms.
Appetite and weight loss
- Here you can watch two videos from the Agency for Clinical Innovation:
  - Dr Jan Maree Davis discusses Cachexia and anaemia: what action is needed?
  - Melissa Scattergood talks about the role of a dietitian and the aim of nutritional management in palliative care.
- For practical guidance read Anorexia/Cachexia from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
- In this video Debbie Provan describes the eating problems that can be caused by cancer and its treatment and gives tips for managing them.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information on eating and drinking problems (for patients, families, and carers).
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Lack of Appetite and Loss of Weight (for patients, families, and carers).
- Oral health is an important part of eating and overall health and wellbeing. Explore the free, self-paced oral health care training modules form SA Dental for:
- nurses and careworkers in aged care (RACF and community)
- nurses in the hospital setting.
Bowel problems
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Constipation in palliative care and Continence care in palliative care.
- The Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines provide practical guidance for:
- Bowel Obstruction
- Constipation
- Diarrhoea.
- This article could help you with Assessing for dehydration in adults (not specific to palliative care).
- This video can help you with Abdominal Assessment for Nursing (not specific to palliative care).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Bladder and bowel problems (for patients, families, and carers).
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Constipation (for patients, families, and carers)
- CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including constipation and incontinence (for carers).
Delirium
- From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to an overview of delirium and depression in advanced illness presented by Dr Meera Agar.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Delirium.
- For practical guidance read Delirium from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
- Read about the Delirium Clinical Care Standard from Australian Commission on Safety and Quality.
- For tips on prevention and management of delirium read the Australian Commission on Safety and Quality fact sheet on Delirium (for clinicians and health system managers).
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Confusion caused by delirium (for families and carers).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with delirium when you have a terminal illness (for families and carers).
- Australasian Delirium Association hosts Delirium FAQs.
Dyspnoea
- Read the article by Booth and Johnson (2019) for a comprehensive overview of severe breathlessness – causes, assessment, management.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Breathlessness.
- For practical guidance read Breathlessness from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with breathlessness when you have a terminal illness (for patients, families, and carers).
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Shortness of breath (for patients, families, and carers).
- CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including breathing changes (for carers).
Fatigue
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Fatigue.
- Read Fatigue in palliative care patients — an EAPC approach.
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Fatigue (for patients, families, and carers).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Fatigue (for patients, families, and carers)
- CarerHelp has information for families about symptoms including fatigue (for carers).
Malignant wounds
- Macmillan Cancer Support offer information on Ulcerating cancer wounds which gives practical information for managing this type of wound.
- The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin Fast Facts and Concepts page #46 Malignant Wounds provides advice about managing the wound and related complications.
- The European Oncology Nursing Society provide Recommendations for the care of patients with malignant fungating wounds (2015) (516kb pdf).
- Cancer Research (UK) provides Information on Ulcerating cancers / Fungating wounds (for patients, families, and carers).
- This articles from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Malignant Wounds (for patients, families, and carers).
Nausea and vomiting
- From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to Dr Bridget Johnson talk about Managing nausea and vomiting.
- For practical guidance read Nausea and Vomiting from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
- The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin offers Fast Facts and Concepts sheet #05 centres around Nausea and Vomiting: Common Etiologies and Management.
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses nausea and vomiting (for patients, families, and carers).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information to help with Feeling sick and vomiting (for patients, families, and carers).
Pain
- Here you can watch a selection of videos by the Agency for Clinical Innovation:
- Nurse Practitioner, Dr Robyn Keall gives a detailed overview of pain in palliative care
- Dr Melanie Lovell discusses how to assess and manage cancer pain
- Dr Melanie Lovell talks about managing neuropathic pain
- Peter Cleasby discusses non-verbal pain assessment, the assessment and different strategies.
- In this Canadian Virtual Hospice video, Dr Paul Daeninck explores pain assessment and management in ways that are specific to the person, involving them and their family. Other videos are available.
- Marie Curie (UK) provides information and practice tips relating to pain management in palliative care.
- For practical guidance read Pain from the Scottish Palliative Care Guidelines.
- For guidance and resources relating to pain in residents see the APS management strategies for residential aged care.
- Read The Conversation articles on:
- The right words matter when talking about pain
- How different cultures experience and talk about pain.
- Explore online learning options in CareSearch eLearning: Pain Management.
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses Pain (for patients, families, and carers).
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information on managing pain (for patients, families, and carers).
Skin changes, skin failure, pressure injuries
- For an overview of skin breakdown and skin changes related to the dying process, read the article Skin failure in patients with a terminal illness.
- Skin Changes at Life’s End (SCALE 867kb pdf) is a consensus statement developed to help clinicians’ knowledge and skills in skin care for people at the end of life.
- The Palliative Care Network of Wisconsin Fast Facts and Concepts page #41 Pressure Ulcers: Debridement and Dressings provides advice about cleaning and dressing pressure ulcers.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Pressure ulcers.
- The Sheffield Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust has put pressure ulcer prevention and care into a catchy song.
- Wounds Australia host a series of Standards and Guidelines for wound prevention and treatment.
- Wounds International has published Best practice recommendations for holistic strategies to promote and maintain skin integrity.
- Read this UpToDate article to learn about pruritis (itch) in palliative care.
- This article from Canadian Virtual Hospice discusses preventive skin care and preventing pressure ulcers (for patients, families, and carers).
Sleep disturbances
- From the Agency for Clinical Innovation video series, listen to Dr Sarah Thompson talk about Anxiety and sleep disturbances.
- The Marie Curie (UK) website has information and practice tips relating to Sleep problems in palliative care.
- In this video, Dr. Christine Newman explains how children who are dying are scared of falling asleep because they think that they will not wake up again.
- This article from the Sleep Foundation discusses grief and its effect on sleep.
- These articles from Canadian Virtual Hospice discuss Sleep Disturbance (for patients) and sleep disturbance and caregivers (for carers).
- In this video Grieving at Nighttime, counsellor Dr. Ajita Robinson discusses bedtime routines and rhythms that can help with rest and coping with a loss or death (for the bereaved).

Last updated 25 May 2026

Symptom Management Resources

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Resources for symptom management

Symptom management

Appetite and weight loss

Bowel problems

Delirium

Dyspnoea

Fatigue

Malignant wounds

Nausea and vomiting

Pain

Skin changes, skin failure, pressure injuries

Sleep disturbances