Nutrition in palliative and end-of-life care

Recent publications regarding nutrition highlight the importance of eating and drinking for patients and their family/carer. This article focuses on the importance of nutrition and early nutritional intervention, giving guidance for nurses when caring for patients with palliative and end-of-life care needs when the focus of nutrition centres around symptom control and quality of life. Clear, sensitive communication, with agreed nutritional goals set with the patient and their family/carer, and regular review and adaptation throughout any 'cancer journey' are paramount in order to minimise anxiety and distress. A multidisciplinary team approach is often required in order to support ethical decision-making and to assist in devising an individualised nutritional management plan. Although this article aims to focus upon the nutritional aspects associated with advancing cancer, many aspects will clearly be transferrable to patients with other life-limiting illnesses such as dementia and advanced cardiac and pulmonary disease.