Paliatívna medicína a liečba bolesti 2/2012

Use of morphine in home setting in children

Morphine is one of the irreplaceable drugs for the treatment of severe pain in paediatric palliative care. Opioid treatment in a home care setting is save and efficient. The treatment requires immediate availability of morphine in all forms (liquid, tablets, suppositories, etc.) and efficient management by skilled hospice professionals. Parents, under the doctors supervision, that can be done by phone, together with regular or acute home care visits, will be able to give adequate analgesic doses; adjusting them to actual the child’s needs and also recognizing possible side effects.

Keywords: morphine, children, palliative treatment, home care.