High-dose morphine safe for home care

Nursing, Dec 2004

HOSPICE PATIENTS

Health care providers shouldn't be afraid to give high-dose morphine to home hospice patients who need it, researchers say. Reviewing the records of 661 home hospice patients, they found that even using very high doses of morphine didn't reduce life expectancy. In fact, patients treated with high and very high doses lived longer on average than those treated with low-dose or no morphine.

The researchers hope their findings will reassure practitioners who are reluctant to prescribe appropriate dosages of morphine to terminally ill patients living at home.

Source: "Patterns of High-Dose Morphine Use in Home-Care Hospice Service: Should We Be Afraid of It?" Cancer, M. Bercovitch and A. Adunsky, September 15, 2004.