Overall Objectives: Palliative Care
CanMEDS-FM Competency
1) Organizes a patient evaluation by organizing the issues into a problem list recognizing both chronic and acute
issues
2) Knows how to define the level of treatment intervention according to the individual patient
3) Recognizes the social, spiritual, and psychological impact of a life threatening illness on the patient and the
family
4) Understands the ethical and legal differences between treatment withdrawal or withholding, physician-assisted
suicide, euthanasia, palliative sedation
5) The residents must demonstrate effective pain management. In order to do this, the resident must:
- Identifies different types of pain (visceral/somatic, neuropathic, bone, and muscular pain) and how the management of each can differ
- Effectively prescribes opioids, specifically:
i. Equi-analgesic dosages
ii. How to start, titrate, and rotate opioids
iii. How to prescribe maintenance and prn dosing
iv. Recognize the different routes of medication administration
- Recognizes and manage the side effects of opioids
i. Nausea/vomiting
ii. Constipation
iii. Opioid toxicity
iv. Pruritus
6) Recognizes, assesses, and treats the following:
- Bowel obstructions (gastric outlet, small bowel, and large bowel)
- Constipation
- Nausea/vomiting
- Delirium
- Dyspnea
- Acute pain crises
1) Able to communicate clearly and compassionately with the patient and family
- Able to reach common ground with respect to a management plan
- Able to discuss prognosis
1) Demonstrates the ability to work well in an interdisciplinary team
1) Demonstrates responsible, reliable, and trustworthy behaviour
2) Demonstrates an open-minded and caring approach to patient
3) Demonstrates awareness of own strengths and limitations and seeks help appropriately
4) Has a systematic approach to ethical dilemmas that may arise
1) Identifies gaps in knowledge that are important for your patient’s management
2) Formulates a clinical question and search the medical literature effectively in order to answer it
1) Know the community supports available for patients and their families
1) Prioritizes tasks around patient care effectively
2) Organizes detailed and clear documentation of patient care
3) Understands the importance of continuity of care and discharge planning, when applicable, being aware of
community resources
Links to Site Specific Teaching Settings and Methods:
