This page contains relevant College of Family Physicians of Canada (CFPC) material, web resources, papers and clinical practice guidelines for physicians who have a special interest in Palliative Care.
Disclaimer: Most of the materials on this site have come from external sources. The CFPC is not responsible for the accuracy, reliability of application of these materials. Users wishing to verify this information should consult directly with the identified sources. The information on this site does not necessarily reflect the policies or views of the CFPC.
Recent references on palliative care (updated monthly)
Pallative Care Files
Compassion fatigue
Romayne Gallagher MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician, March 2013
“Should I go on dialysis, Doc?”
Initiating dialysis in elderly patients with end-stage renal disease
Dori Seccareccia MD CCFP(EM) MClSc James Downar MD MHSc FRCPC
Canadian Family Physician, December 2012
Management of critical limb ischemia
Cornelius J. Woelk, MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - September 2012
Palliation of gastrointestinal obstruction
Golda Tradounsky, MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician – June 2012
Malignant wounds: Managing odour
Christopher O’Brien MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician – March 2012
Swallowing difficulties: A prognostic signpost
Romayne Gallagher, MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - December 2011
Pruritus in palliative care Getting up to scratch
Dori Seccareccia MD CCFP(EM) MClSc Nadine Gebara MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician – September 2011
Managing hiccups
Cornelius J. Woelk, MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - June 2011
Withdrawing medication: Managing medical comorbidities near the end of life
Christopher P. O’Brien, MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Mar. 2011
Steroids as pain relief adjuvants
Melissa Vyvey MD MPhil
Canadian Family Physician - Dec. 2010
Management of painful wounds in advanced disease
Romayne Gallagher MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Sept. 2010
Killing the symptom without killing the patient
Romayne Gallagher MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - June 2010
Cancer-related hypercalcemia
Dori Seccareccia MD CCFP (EM) MCISc
Canadian Family Physician - Mar 2010
How long have I got?
Cornelius J. Woelk MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Dec. 2009
Management of stomatitis
Christopher P. O’Brien MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Sept. 2009
Cough in the palliative care setting
André Bonneau MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - June 2009
Can’t we get this over with?: An approach to assessing the patient who requests hastened death
Romayne Gallagher
Canadian Family Physician - March 2009 55: 260 -261
When a parent is dying Helping parents explain death to their children
Dori Seccareccia, MD CCFP(EM) MClSc
Canadian Family Physician - Dec. 2008
Management of Hope
Cornelius J. Woelk MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Sept 2008
Nausea and vomiting
Christopher O’Brien MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - June 2008
Management of bone metastases
André Bonneau, MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - April 2008
Multiple opioids in pain management
Romayne Gallagher, MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Dec. 2007
Pain patch - pain control with the fentanyl patch
Dori Seccareccia MD CCFP(EM) MCISc
Canadian Family Physician - Sept. 2007
The hand that writes the opioid…
Cornelius J. Woelk MD CCFP FCFP
Canadian Family Physician - June 2007
Opioid-induced neurotoxicity
Romayne Gallagher MD CCFP
Canadian Family Physician - Mar 2007
Suggested Learning Objectives for Palliative Care in Family Medicine Residency Programs
Other resources
Canadian Society of Palliative Care Physicians
Practical Management of Common Problems in Palliative Care
Palliative Info: This site, developed and maintained by Dr. Mike Harlos in Winnipeg, has useful clinical information, including protocols for incident pain and opioids in dyspnea. It also offers links to a number of other relevant sites.
Palliative Medicine Guidelines : This online edition of Dr. Ian Back’s Handbook provides practical information regarding the management of a variety of clinical situations in Palliative Medicine. The formulary and approach is from the UK (Welsh) perspective.
End of Life / Palliative Education Resource Center (EPERC): The End of Life/Palliative Education Resource Centre (EPERC) is a website maintained by the Medical College of Wisconsin. The purpose of this site is to share educational resource materials among the community of health professional educators involved in palliative care education. The Fast Facts section is useful for all clinicians involved in palliative/end-of-life care.
Educating Future Physicians in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EFPPEC):
This is the website for the Educating Future Physicians in Palliative and End-of-Life Care (EFPPEC) Project, which is a national project intended to bring palliative and end-of-life care education to all undergraduate medical students and clinical postgraduate trainees at Canada’s seventeen medical schools.
Canadian Virtual Hospice: The Canadian Virtual Hospice is an interactive network for people dealing with life-threatening illness and loss.
Ian Anderson Program: This is the site for the Ian Anderson Program of Continuing Education for Physicians in End-of-Life Care. The site has downloadable modules and presentations for a variety of symptoms and issues in palliative care.
Canadian Hospice Palliative Care Association: This website of the national association, provides leadership in hospice palliative care in Canada. A broad range of information is available including publications and resources such as the Norms document, A Model to Guide Hospice Palliative Care.
International Association for Hospice & Palliative Care: This site provides an information resource for patients, professionals, health care providers and policy makers around the world. Of interest are the Association’s online newsletter and ethics articles.
Council on Palliative Care: This site focuses on the Montreal-area with a listing of palliative care resources specific to that area. It also provides some general information and resources.
Center to Advance Palliative Care: This useful website for those interested in program and policy development, has evidence-based information on outcomes and economics that support the use of palliative care in acute care settings. It also has information on geriatric palliative care.
Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care: This is the site of the Department of Pain Medicine and Palliative Care at Beth Israel Medical Centre. It has a number of useful resources for professionals including slide presentations on various topics in pain management.
Quality End-of-Life Care Coalition of Canada: The QELCCC is a coalition of thirty national organizations concerned about quality end-of-life care for all Canadians.
Standards of Accreditation of Residency Training Programs
FMF 2010 Opioid Pharmacology.ppt