Practice guidelines are important you, as an allied health professional working in aged and palliative care for several reasons:
Evidence-based guidelines for speech pathologists in palliative care provide recommendations for the assessment and management of swallowing and communication difficulties. Whilst Speech Pathology Australia does not have a specific best practice document or clinical guideline for the palliative and end-of-life care management of older adults in aged care, relevant practice guidelines for the profession can be consulted to inform practice in the management of symptoms and supporting quality of life outcomes.
Position Statements
Additionally, general profession documents are available to guide speech pathologists' practice in this area.
Practice Guidelines Speech Pathology Australia
Relevant practice guidelines available in the Speech Pathology Australia member portal include:
International documents that may be used to inform practice Royal College of Speech and Language Therapists - UK
There are palliative care guidelines for physiotherapists that provide recommendations for the assessment and management of physical symptoms in patients receiving palliative care. These guidelines aim to support physiotherapists in delivering effective and appropriate care to patients with life-limiting illnesses, to improve their quality of life and optimize their function.
Practice Guidelines
In addition, the following guidelines provide evidence-based recommendations and practical advice to support you in providing high-quality care to older adults receiving palliative care.
Australia / New Zealand
International documents that may be used to inform practice
Occupational therapy guidelines for palliative care provide recommendations for the assessment and management of physical, cognitive, and emotional symptoms in patients receiving palliative care. These guidelines aim to support occupational therapists in delivering effective and appropriate care to people with life-limiting illnesses, to improve their quality of life and optimize their function.
OT Australia is the national body, and has developed a position paper titled Occupational Therapy in Palliative Care (555kb pdf). The purpose of this paper is to outline the role of occupational therapy in palliative care in Australia, the contextual factors experienced by the profession in this practice setting, and proposed recommendations to improve practice and relevant policy.
Australian Occupational Therapy have also developed a series of competency standards which refer more generally to OT practice not specific to palliative care, and the video provides information on how to apply the standards to you and your practice.
Evidence-based guidelines for dietitians in palliative care provide recommendations for the assessment and management of nutritional needs and symptoms in patients receiving palliative care. Dietitians Australia is the leading voice in nutrition and dietetics in Australia, while there are no specific guidelines for dietitians working in palliative care, other reference documents are available which can inform practice in the management of symptoms and supporting quality of life outcomes.
Evidence-based practice guidelines for social workers in palliative care provide recommendations for the assessment and management of psychosocial and spiritual issues in patients receiving palliative care. These guidelines aim to support social workers in delivering effective and appropriate care to patients with life-limiting illnesses, to improve their quality of life and well-being.
Practice Guidelines Palliative Care Social Work Australia (PCSWA)
Older people at or approaching the end of their life commonly experience psychological symptoms of distress such as anxiety and depression yet these are often under-recognised and undertreated including by clinicians.
At present there are no best local best practice guidelines, but the American Psychological Association (APA) has published guidelines for psychologists working in palliative and end-of-life care. These guidelines outline the knowledge and skills that psychologists should possess to provide effective care to patients and their families in palliative care settings. Some key recommendations from the APA guidelines for psychologists working with older adults in palliative care include:
Pharmacists play a critical role in palliative care, as they are responsible for ensuring the safe and effective use of medications to manage pain, symptoms, and other aspects of care for patients nearing the end of life.
The Society of Hospital Pharmacists of Australia (SHPA) has developed guidelines for pharmacists working in palliative care. These guidelines provide recommendations for pharmacists in a variety of areas, including prescribing, communication, pain and symptom management.
Further reading on the best practice role of pharmacists in palliative and end of life care
Page updated 18 April 2023