Researching palliative care

Key methods for researching palliative care ; Systematic reviews ; Survey research in palliative care using bereaved relatives ; How many subjects are needed in a research sample in palliative care? ; Placebo-controlled trials in palliative care : the argument for ; Placebo-controlled trials in palliative care : the argument against ; What is qualitative research and what can it contribute to palliative care? ; Ethical issues in qualitative research in palliative care ; Clinical research in palliative care ; Fatigue in advanced cancer : meaning before measurement? ; How reliable are relatives' retrospective reports of terminal illness : patients' and relatives' accounts compared ; Pitfalls in placebo-controlled trials in palliative care : dexamethasone for the palliation of malignant bowel obstruction ; Multicentre randomized controlled trial of nursing intervention for breathlessness in patients with lung cancer ; Outcome measures in palliative care for advanced cancer patients : a review ; Needs assessment, audit and evaluation ; Key issues in palliative care needs assessment ; Palliative care needs assessment : incorporating the views of service users ; The assessment of need for bereavement follow-up in palliative and hospice care ; Clinical audit and organizational audit in palliative care ; Formative evaluation and its relevance to palliative care ; Index

This book aims to identify key methods in palliative care research and provide examples and discussions of practical, methodological and ethical issues.