ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book disseminates that knowledge of palliative-care nursing to improve the care of people at the end of their lives, and provides care and assistance to their families, friends, and carers. It also provides a core set of knowledge that can be applied at each of these three levels of practice and assists that all nurses to incorporate palliative care into their work, on the premise that all nurses require access to information that will support their care of dying people and their families. The book presents palliative care as the expert, holistic, and interdisciplinary care that is offered to dying people, regardless of diagnosis or care setting. It is a continuum of practice from a generalised approach to a specialist discipline. The book describes transcend settings of care and diagnosis in setting out a knowledge base that is applicable to all.
