The 'surprise question' in end-of-life care

Citation

Hubbard G (2011) The 'surprise question' in end-of-life care. British Journal of Community Nursing, 16 (3), p. 109. http://www.internurse.com/cgi-bin/go.pl/library/article.cgi?uid=82363;article=BJCN_16_3_109;format=pdf

Abstract
First paragraph: It is imperative that services identify if a person with a chronic illness such as Parkinson's disease, multiple sclerosis, COPD or motor neuron disease is likely to die so that they and their families and friends can be appropriately supported and a good death is achieved. Yet predicting with precision when a person is likely to die is fraught with difficulties, because illness trajectories for these types of diseases are frequently long and uncertain.

Notes
Output Type: Editorial

Journal
British Journal of Community Nursing: Volume 16, Issue 3