Review care of dying patients daily, says new NICE guideline

People in their last few days of life are entitled to individualised care tailored to their needs, reviewed at least daily and openly discussed with them or their representatives, a new guideline says.

Rather than the “tick box, one size fits all” approach of the Liverpool care pathway (LCP), dying patients deserve “the best possible care based on each individual’s needs and wishes,” said Sam Ahmedzai, of the University of Sheffield, who chaired the panel that developed the guideline for the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence (NICE).1

It calls for fewer tests in the final days and for adequate hydration, by clinically assisted methods if necessary. The perception that hydration and some essential medicines were withheld …