Thammasat University students interested in the allied health sciences, geriatric medicine, sociology, comparative religion and related subjects may find it useful to participate in a free 30 July Zoom webinar on Mind the Gap: Making Advance Care Planning and Actual Experiences of End-of-Life Care.

The event, on Tuesday, 30 July 2024 at 3pm Bangkok time, is presented by The Chinese University of Hong Kong.

The TU Library collection includes several books about different aspects of end-of-life care.

According to the event webpage:

In view of the recent legislation regarding Advance Decision on Life-sustaining Treatment Bill, CUHK Jockey Club Institute of Ageing is organizing a webinar on the practical implementation of Advance Care Planning (ACP). Experts are invited to discuss common neurodegenerative cases and provide valuable insights on the practical aspects of implementing ACP.

Students are welcome to register for the free event at this link.

https://cloud.itsc.cuhk.edu.hk/webform/view.php?id=12616930

Speakers will include:

• Professor Bee Wee CBE

Consultant in Palliative Medicine, Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust

Associate Professor, Nuffield Department of Medicine, and Governing Body Fellow, Harris Manchester College, Oxford University

• David Sun

Specialist in Neurosurgery

Head of Hospital Authority Academy

Honorary Clinical Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, the Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Raymond Lo

Specialist in Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine

Clinical Professor (Hon), Department of Medicine and Therapeutics, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

• Professor Jean Woo

Director, Jockey Club Institute of Ageing, The Chinese University of Hong Kong

In the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Volume 97, Issue 7, Jul 2004, Professor Bee Wee reviewed

the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine as follows:

The new edition of the Oxford Textbook of Palliative Medicine is substantially different from its predecessors. First, there are two new editors of international repute. Second, many new authors have been appointed to rewrite chapters while other sections have been substantially changed. Third, important new topics have been granted additional editorial weight; for example, a completely new section on non-malignant disease includes separate chapters on palliative care in the elderly and in intensive care. There is also a new and most welcome section on the contribution to palliative medicine by allied health professionals: interestingly, this does not include social workers, who have an entire section of their own, although it comprises only one chapter. Given the addition of new material, how have the editors managed to reduce the number of pages from 1283 to 1244? This has partly been achieved by no longer having a separate section on cultural issues. Instead, these have been incorporated into other sections, e.g. bereavement and social work. This concept of embedding cultural issues throughout the text is commendable and reflects the realities of clinical practice in multicultural societies. The only section identified as dealing with ‘cultural aspects’ (in its title) focuses almost entirely on spiritual issues, which it does well; it hardly deals with cultural issues at all. The editors have also achieved a smaller volume by using finer (but good quality) paper and a smaller font. Consequently, this edition is one centimetre thinner and one kilogram lighter than its predecessor. Furthermore, there are clearer headings and better use of bold type than formerly. Readers will have to decide whether the smaller font is worth the shelf-space saved. When reading previous editions in bed I felt like the victim in a short story by Edgar Allan Poe; not so with this one. Inevitably in a multi-author volume, there will be some gaps and overlaps. The overlaps matter less because they usually offer different perspectives. Because of my position in undergraduate medical education in Oxford, I looked in vain for a chapter, within the expanded section on ‘Education and Training in Palliative Medicine’(Section 20), to reflect the vast growth and innovation in this area that has occurred across the world since the last edition. Although I did find good material about medical students, this was tucked away in the section on specialist training. This textbook is not a simple ‘how to do it’ guide. The success of previous editions has already made it a seminal resource for anyone wishing to explore the diverse aspects of palliative medicine. But more important than its iconic status is the way the book stimulates thinking, evaluates current practice and encourages new approaches to old problems. Finally, there are up-to-date references, reading lists and, at the end of the last chapter, contact details and website addresses for organizations in 48 countries. This will help the many practitioners who work in isolated settings. Who should buy this? In the 21st century, all libraries should certainly purchase a copy of the new edition, as should palliative care departments, hospices and academic cancer centres. Most palliative care physicians will wish to have their own copy. Those in senior positions, academics and ‘movers and shakers’ in palliative care may also consider this a worthwhile personal investment.

Bee Wee

University of Oxford and Sir Michael Sobell House,

Oxford, UK

In the Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, Volume 94, Issue 9, September 2001, Professor Bee Wee coauthored an article,

From cradle to grave: palliative medicine education in the UK.

The article begins:

Since the death rate in the UK population is approximately100%, it seems reasonable that approximately 100% of healthcare professionals should have a sane attitude towards death and dying and some knowledge and skills in dealingwith patients who experience the inevitable challenges, physical, psychological, emotional and spiritual. The depths of knowledge and skill required will depend on the kind of health professional. Those who deal with death and dying only infrequently will require only a basic knowledge of palliative care: others, such as those training to be specialists in palliative care or in palliative medicine, will undergo a lengthy educational programme, in the UK four years. Whichever category healthcare workers fall into, there is always likely to be a training element of one form or another. Administrative and clerical staff in every health setting should learn how to cope with distressed relatives and families; healthcare staff in hospitals and the community need to understand basic symptom control and have good communication skills. Senior nurses and doctors in palliative care may need to gain higher degrees, undergo accredited training and be able to participate in continuing professional development at all levels. However, more important than any of this is conveying the ethos, at the start of training, that palliative care is important. Not just because it improves quality of life and relieves suffering for patients and families, but because many of the skills in palliative care are useful in every other health setting, e.g. empathy, listening, communication, identification of problems and goals, developing priorities fast, and perhaps most important, working with and developing interprofessional teams so that patients get the right care at the right time from the right person. This is why palliative care education needs to start in the cradle and why it needs to continue to the grave.

(All images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons)