Foreword - Dr Susie Wilkinson

Palliative Care Nursing: A Guide to Practice addresses palliative care from a nursing perspective, and will assist nurses in a variety of settings to care for people and their families with confidence and competence. Written in the main by nurses, the book presents the expertise that the contributing authors have gathered over many years of practical experience in clinical practice, backed by extensive research and an awareness of the relevant nursing and medical literature. The book is a tribute to all the contributing authors.

This book offers all nurses an evidence-based approach to handling the many difficult scenarios faced by nurses who care for dying people and their families. The World Health Organization definition of palliative care (WHO 2002) emphasises, for the first time, the importance of 'impeccable assessment' in the provision of high-quality palliative care. Each chapter of Palliative Care Nursing gives nurses detailed guidelines for making in-depth assessments to elicit the patients' problems, followed by relevant advice to enable them to plan effective care.

Palliative care is now accepted as an important aspect of health care by an increasing number of government health departments and by health professionals all over the world. For nurses worldwide who are contributing to new palliative-care services, as well as for those working in established service settings, this book is a must. It is an authoritative text on palliative-care nursing, and will provide up-to-date knowledge and ideas for enhancing the care that nurses provide in assisting people achieve a peaceful dignified death, and in caring for their families and loved ones.

I have great pleasure in commending this excellent book.