PALPRAC

Gastro-Intestinal Complaints in Palliative Care

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Short course

Course type

2 hours

Study time

Online

Mode of learning

3 CPD points

3 Clinical
(70% average required)

Course overview

This focused course is designed to equip you with the essential skills of managing common gastro-intestinal complaints in palliative care patients. Nausea, vomiting and constipation are distressing symptoms leading to impaired treatment compliance, nutritional and fluid imbalance and poor quality of life, and are likely to affect most palliative care patients at some point in their disease trajectory.

At first glance, management of gastro-intestinal complaints might be considered straightforward and elementary. However, the frequency of these overlooked complaints, their undertreatment and the significant distress caused by unrelenting vomiting or ongoing constipation, warrant revisiting the tenets of appropriate management for all healthcare providers.
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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. Understand the impact on quality of life of these symptoms if poorly controlled
  2. Understand the various mechanisms of nausea, vomiting and constipation
  3. Describe methods to avoid development of nausea, vomiting and constipation
  4. Describe appropriate investigations for impeccable assessment of these symptoms
  5. Describe non-pharmacological strategies for nausea, vomiting and constipation management
  6. Understand the basic pharmacology of various anti-emetics and laxatives
  7. Choose the most appropriate drug management for specific indications
  8. Consider management options when oral intake is not feasible

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 South 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

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Course Lessons

  • Certificate included

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

 

Course developer

Palliative Medicine Practitioner
Dr Shannon Odell
Dr Shannon Odell is a medical doctor with extensive experience in palliative care, ethics and clinical education. She provides community-based palliative care through Beyond-Health Medical Centre in Cape Town and lectures on the Postgraduate Diploma in Palliative Medicine at the University of Cape Town.

She holds Master’s degrees in both Palliative Medicine and Applied Ethics and serves on the Board of PALPRAC, contributing to palliative care advocacy and professional development in South Africa.

Dr Odell has worked in a variety of healthcare settings locally and internationally and brings both clinical expertise and academic insight to her teaching. Her practical, patient-centred approach makes her well placed to guide learners through the management of gastrointestinal symptoms in palliative care.
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Available on mobile and web

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