Prescribing practices of a palliative care service

We describe the prescribing pattern for ambulatory patients of a Palliative Care Service in a tertiary care medical center. We audited 81 outpatient medication records to describe the drugs required for symptom control in patients with advanced cancer; 17 therapeutic drug classifications were used. The most frequently prescribed drug classes were analgesics, followed by laxatives and antiemetics. Individual drugs most commonly used were morphine, docusate sodium, and ranitidine. Symptom control in a multisymptomatic population can be achieved with a limited number of drugs. Education of physicians and nurses in the therapeutics of palliative care should focus on the indications, efficacy, and side effects of commonly used effective drugs.