Palliative Care Strategy for HIV and other diseases - FHI 360

annex a. assessing and addressing palliative care
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Initial PLHIV Palliative Care Assessment
History
• Present illnesses and treatments administered
• Past medical history, including all co-morbidities (e.g. TB) and past HIV-related
complications, other major illnesses, hospitalizations, surgeries and date of HIV
diagnosis
• Medication history
• Drug allergies
• Substance use and dependence history, including treatment
• Family history
• Social history
• Social resources
• Spiritual support
• Financial issues
• Nutrition
• Current symptoms (i.e., pain, weight loss, anorexia, fatigue, lack of energy or
weakness, fevers, night sweats, insomnia, sadness, anxiety, dyspnea, cough, nausea/
vomiting, diarrhea, other)
• Chronology of symptoms; exacerbating and relieving factors
• Current medications or other treatment for symptoms
• Cause, type and grade of pain
• Symptom cause, type and characteristics
• Impact of
– symptoms on functional capabilities
– symptoms on each other
– specific therapies on each symptom
– symptoms on patient’s quality of life
• Mental health history and treatment (e.g., depression, anxiety disorder, delirium,
psychosis), and any current mental health problems
Physical examination
• Full clinical examination
• Systems review including:
– constitutional (e.g., fatigue, anorexia, fevers, weight loss)
– neurological
– mental status
– dermatological
Other examinations and investigations as required
Assessment including differential diagnosis
Development of care plan
Palliative Care Strategy for HIV and other diseases
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