The Spanish Society of Primary Care Physicians (SEMERGEN) has released "PALIMECUM. From symptom to decision", a practical consultation manual designed for Family doctors that seeks to improve care at home for people with palliative care needs. Its purpose is to relieve suffering, manage symptoms appropriately, and enable patients to continue in their home for as long as possible, provided they wish to and their clinical situation makes it feasible.
The work was presented within the framework of the IV National Update Days on Pain and Palliative Care of SEMERGEN, which took place in Madrid on 12 and 13 November, under the slogan "Science to relieve. Humanity to care".
The guide’s content is organized into nine chapters that follow the entire care pathway, from the early detection of palliative care needs to care for bereavement. Among the main sections are the overall assessment of the patient and their caregivers, communication in the final phase of life, and shared planning of care.
In addition, the document provides recommendations for addressing pain, with special attention to the use of opioids, and for the control of digestive, respiratory, and neuropsychiatric symptoms. It also details how to act in emergencies such as convulsive crises, massive hemorrhages, or spinal cord compression, and includes instructions on the use of the subcutaneous route and palliative sedation in the home setting.
The guide is coordinated by Dr. David Palacios Martínez, a specialist in Family and Community Medicine and president of SEMERGEN Madrid. The authorship also includes Francisco Javier Resa López, coordinator of the Working Group on Pain and Palliative Care (DOLPAL); Vanesa de la Cuesta Esteban, from the Rey Juan Carlos University Hospital in Móstoles; and Julio Antonio Heras Hitos, coordinator of the Working Group on Dermatology of the society.
The president of SEMERGEN Madrid, David Palacios, states that this publication aims to provide Family doctors with practical tools to address the most frequent needs of these patients and their loved ones, and to help those who so prefer continue to receive care at their home for as long as possible.