Care in the last hours and days of life

Care in the last hours and days of life is a vital part of medical practice. Ensuring a dignified death for people, with appropriate support for those important to them, is a core activity of all healthcare professionals. Once it has been recognized that a person may be dying, it is important that pain and other symptoms are managed appropriately. All medication that needs to be continued should be converted to a parenteral route, usually subcutaneously when administration via the oral route is no longer possible.