© 2018 Greg & Sylvia RAY

palliative care

Read more about the article Pam Harrison: a life of caring and professionalism
Pam as a young haematologist (left) and with her treasured medallion from the Haemophilia Society.

Pam Harrison: a life of caring and professionalism

One of the pioneers of palliative care in the Hunter, haematologist Dr Pamela Harrison OAM has also written a number of authoritative and illuminating history publications. Pam Harrison remembers a time in the mid-1970s when, driving from one demanding job at Newcastle Blood Bank to another at the Mater Hospital at Waratah, she found herself contemplating an upcoming break from work. "I didn't want to go on holiday," she laughed. "I loved my work so much!" Talking to Pam about her career it becomes clear just how much she truly loved her work. She found a…

Continue ReadingPam Harrison: a life of caring and professionalism
Read more about the article More about midazolam: not a pretty picture

More about midazolam: not a pretty picture

Our disturbing theory about current clinical practice in end-of-life care Since we published our first article about our families' experiences with the powerful sedative drug midazolam, we have received a lot of correspondence and comments from around the world. As expected, we received one or two defensive comments from medical and nursing professionals. Also as expected, we received a great many very upsetting accounts of similar experiences from people whose aged and sick relatives had received midazolam shortly before they died. Mostly, these people have simply wanted to share their experiences. In some cases they were…

Continue ReadingMore about midazolam: not a pretty picture
Read more about the article Our troubles with midazolam: a story of death, dying and a powerful drug
Photo by James Heilman, MD. Wikimedia Commons

Our troubles with midazolam: a story of death, dying and a powerful drug

Are powerful sedatives being over-used in palliative care and aged care? Our observations of the apparent effects of the sedative midazolam on our fathers, who both died from cancer a week apart in October 2018, have left us with some questions. Midazolam is a powerful benzodiazepine drug, very widely used in a variety of medical applications. Although midazolam has no analgesic properties, it was repeatedly described to us as a “breakthrough drug”, implying that it was being used to suppress spikes in pain above the level the prescribed doses of painkillers could handle. We believe this…

Continue ReadingOur troubles with midazolam: a story of death, dying and a powerful drug
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