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Palliative care after stroke
A resource for clinicians and stroke services


There is a growing interest in the role of palliative care in patients dying of non-malignant diseases, including stroke.  One in five people who have a first-ever stroke will die within one month, and one in three will die within a year (1), thus palliative care is an important consideration

 In order to support consistent and appropriate provision of palliative care in this group of patients, the Stroke Palliative Approach Pathway was developed and implemented at Royal Melbourne Hospital in 2009/2010 as part of an 18-month project funded through the Department of Health (Victoria).

The pathway and associated resources are now available to other stroke services to assist in achieving improvements in the care of stroke patients who require palliative care.  This guide provides step by step instruction to facilitate implementation.

The 'Clinical Guidelines for Acute Stroke Management' 2010, released by the National Stroke Foundation of Australia, recommend that people who are dying following a stroke, their families and caregivers should have care that is consistent with the principles and philosophies of palliative care (2).


References:

  1. National Stroke Foundation. Facts, figures and statistics, 2010 - www.strokefoundation.com.au/facts-figures-and-stats.

  2. National Stroke Foundation. Clinical guidelines for acute stroke management, 2007 - www.strokefoundation.com.au/news/welcome/clinical-guidelines-for-acute-stroke-management 

This project is an initiative of the Victorian Department of Health (formerly Department of Human Services) and funded by the Australian Government, Department of Health and Ageing, under the National Palliative Care Program © 2010