Respiratory Symptoms

What Do I Do Now: Respiratory Symptoms is the first book of its kind to succinctly describe the palliative care approach to patients experiencing respiratory symptoms throughout their illness trajectory. Dyspnea, also known as breathlessness, is one of the most difficult symptoms to experience and is also one of the most difficult to treat as the evidence-base for this symptom lags behind other prevalent symptoms, such as pain or nausea.

This volume brings together expertise from the fields of nursing, chaplaincy, social work, and psychology to address dyspnea from a palliative care context. Covering patients ranging from pediatric to geriatric, each chapter opens with a case study and provides context for the practical clinical content that follows.

Margaret Campbell is a Professor at Wayne State University College of Nursing. Her research focuses on respiratory symptoms for patients approaching the end of life. She developed the Respiratory Distress Observation Scale for use when patients cannot provide a symptom self-report. This system is now widely used across the U.S. and has been adapted with several non-English translations. She is widely published, serves on journal editorial boards, and reviews manuscripts.