PALPRAC

Managing Delirium and Terminal Restlessness at the End-of-Life

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Short course

Course type

1 hour

Study time

Online

Mode of learning

3 CPD points

3 Clinical
(70% average required)

Course overview

The Managing Delirium and Terminal Restlessness at the End of Life course is designed for Southern African Junior Doctors, Interns, Nurses and Pharmacists. It aims to equip participants with the essential knowledge and skills to recognise, assess and manage delirium and terminal restlessness — two common and distressing symptoms in palliative care.

Through a concise presentation of facts, students will learn to define and differentiate delirium from terminal restlessness, understand their underlying mechanisms and identify differences in prognosis and reversibility. Participants will explore the PINCHES mnemonic to systematically uncover potentially reversible causes, with consideration for factors particularly relevant to the Southern African context, such as HIV-related infections and tuberculosis.

The course will be delivered in approximately one hour and following a facts-based presentation, a series of questions will test knowledge retention. This format ensures participants can efficiently grasp and retain the critical information necessary to support comfort, dignity and compassionate care at the end of life.
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Who is this course for?

South African Doctors, Interns, Nurses and Pharmacists

Required qualification

The necessary healthcare qualifications for doctors, nurses and pharmacists (or students of these)

Course level

This course is aimed at a Beginner-Intermediate Level. 

Develop your professional skills

Why choose this course?

The Learning Objectives of this course include being able to:

  1. Define and differentiate between delirium and terminal restlessness in the context of palliative care.
  2. Identify common causes and risk factors for delirium and terminal restlessness, particularly relevant to patients in Southern Africa.
  3. Conduct a comprehensive assessment to diagnose and characterise delirium and terminal restlessness, considering local cultural and resource contexts.
  4. Formulate and implement practical, evidence-based management strategies for both pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions, adaptable to resource-constrained settings.
  5. Utilise a case-based approach to apply learned principles in real-world clinical scenarios.
  6. Recognise the impact of these conditions on patients, families, and caregivers, and provide appropriate support.

About the academic institution

PALPRAC is a national network of healthcare professionals dedicated to improving quality of life for people living with serious illness. Founded in 2018, we bring together doctors, nurses, and allied health professionals to deliver compassionate, person-centred palliative care across Southern Africa. Through education, advocacy, and collaboration, we equip multidisciplinary teams to relieve suffering, support dignity, and honour what matters most to patients and their families. We support healthcare professionals to be change agents in their own settings, and we engage with the wider health system to drive the changes needed to ensure everyone has access to quality palliative care. All healthcare professionals are welcome to join, with membership options to suit every role and level of experience.

Over 300 members

Various healthcare providers 

Spread across South Africa

PALPRAC contact info

  info@palprac.org

Follow PALRAC on social media

Course Lessons

  • Certificate included

    Upon successful completion of this course - including achieving a minimum score of 70% in the assessment, as required by the HPCSA - you will receive a certificate of completion from PALPRAC, a name synonymous with excellence in professional development.

 

Course developer

Family Physician and Palliative Medicine Professional
Dr Mitchell Scott

Dr. Mitchell Scott began his career in independent practice as a general practitioner until 2009, subsequently transitioning to an independent practice specialist family physician and palliative medicine clinician in 2010. Since 2007, Dr. Scott has served as a Palliative Medicine consultant at Highway Hospice in Durban. He holds significant academic roles as a Lecturer in Family Medicine and Palliative Medicine at the University of KwaZulu-Natal (UKZN), teaching MBChB and MMed (Fam Med)/FCFP candidates, and currently coordinates the Palliative Medicine module for the PG Dip Fam Med program. Dr. Scott holds a Diploma in Palliative Medicine and is a member of professional bodies including PALPRAC and the African Palliative Care Association.

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