Pain and Palliative Care I

The course gives an introduction to the study of pain and palliative care and will focus on clinical aspects related to examination, diagnostics, treatment and follow-up. The course will cover organizational aspects, multidisciplinary team work, and communication between patients / family members and health care professionals.

Regarding pain, the focus will be on basic physiological mechanisms and psychological and social factors associated with different pain conditions.
Regarding palliative care, the focus will be on advanced cancer, but other incurable diseases such as dementia, cardiovascular and lung diseases will be covered as well. Organization of healthcare will be covered.

After having completed and passed KLH3200 the students should be able to:
•describe various malignant and non-malignant diseases related to pain and palliative care
•describe principles for diagnostics and measurement of complex symptoms
•explain basic physiological mechanisms of pain in malignant and non-malignant disease
•explain the biopsychosocial model of pain
•describe principles for treatment of complex symptoms, including basic pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments
•describe principles for an holistic and multi-disciplinary approach to patients and their families

Lectures and Group work