Palliative Hepatology SIG (formally End of Life Special Interest Group)
Palliative Hepatology Special Interest Group
The Palliative Hepatology SIG (formally known as End of Life Special Interest Group (SIG) is linked to the Cirrhosis and its Complications CRN topic area. The SIG Lead is Dr Lucia Macken of Brighton and Sussex University Hospitals NHS Trust/Brighton and Sussex Medical school . The first meeting of the SIG was held in March 2018. If anyone wishes to join the group please contact the BASL secretariat at sigs@basl.org.uk
Resources
SIG DOCUMENTS
Annual report 2017-18 - .
Annual report 2018-19 - .
Report of 1st meeting - 6 March 2018 - .
Report of 2nd meeting - 20 March 2019 - .
All presentations from 2nd meeting - 20 March 2019 - .
BASL EOL SIG Meeting - Engineers House - Bristol - 19th October 2023
Position statement on palliative and supportive care in patients with chronic liver disease - Contributors: Mark Wright, Michael Allison, Ben Hudson, Suzanne Ford-Dunn, Fiona Finlay, Graeme Alexander and the BASL End of Life Care Special Interest Group. There is increasing recognition that although great strides have been made in treating liver disease, sadly many patients still succumb to it and need good quality health care in the final stages of their lives, which is sometimes lacking compared to other diseases. In this discussion document, which came out of two meetings of the End of Life SIG, we outline the key issues and suggest a plan of action going forward to improve matters. .
Prescribing guidelines for patients with end stage liver disease - produced by the End of Life SIG and British Hepatology Pharmacy Group. These guidelines cover the management of common symptoms in patients with advanced liver disease and offer guidance on prescribing of anticipatory medications at the end of life. They should be used for patients with Child Pugh B or C cirrhosis. Evidence in this field is limited, and suggested doses and dosing intervals are based largely on expert opinion. Prescribing practices vary both locally and nationally, and prescribers should refer to local guidelines and use medications they are familiar with whenever possible. As this is an area of limited evidence, the authors would welcome feedback from users to inform future versions of the guideline - contact paula@basl.org.uk .
PUBLISHED RESEARCH
This is not a definitive list of publications, but aims to provide an introduction to research into end of life care in liver disease -
Publication of QPL paper - Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology - Improving Communication in Outpatient Consultations in People With Cirrhosis;
CURRENT PROJECTS
The SIG has collated information about examples of current projects, mostly UK based, which are improving care for patients with advanced liver disease. The following table summarises these projects and provides links to further information on each project. Links to individual project information may also be accessed below. The SIG is keen to receive information on other relevant projects - anyone interested in providing this should contact paula@basl.org.uk .
New Document
Useful Websites
Palliative care support for those who are homeless:
British Liver Trust ‘Thinking Ahead’ palliative and supportive care leaflet:
E learning on end of life care, a Health Education England programme working in partnership with the NHS and professional bodies to support patient care:
Meeting 21st October 2021 - Presentation Slides & Webinar
Thank you to our speakers who presented and to our delegates who attended the recent Annual End of Life SIG meeting on Thursday 21st of October. The meeting was well attended and received great feedback.
Part 1 of the meeting - below are the speaker slides that can be shared:
14:10 -14:45 - Prognostication of inpatient admitted with acute decompensation – early data from the SPRING project - Dr Emma Saunsbury & Dr Daniel Maggs, on behalf of the SPRING project:
15:00 - 15:40 - Review of recent palliative hepatology research from the US - Dr Nneka Ufere & Dr Arpan Patel
Part 2 of the meeting - joint BASL BSG educational webinar “Integrating palliative care into the management of advanced liver disease”
Missed the webinar, please watch it > .
