Letters
Embracing Cicely Saunders's concept of total pain
BMJ 2005; 331 doi: https://doi.org/10.1136/bmj.331.7516.576-d (Published 08 September 2005) Cite this as: BMJ 2005;331:576
- Chi-Keong Ong, head of research and service evaluation (p.ong@warwick.ac.uk),
- Duncan Forbes, chief executive
- Shakespeare Hospice, Shottery, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9UL
- Shakespeare Hospice, Shottery, Stratford-upon-Avon, Warwickshire CV37 9UL
EDITOR—Dame Cicely Saunders defined the concept of total pain as the suffering that encompasses all of a person's physical, psychological, social, spiritual, and practical struggles.1 Coyle also wrote that a diagnosis of a life threatening illness jars open a door of awareness,2 the same door that, for most of our lives, comfortably allows us to keep thoughts about death in the background. …
Log in
Log in using your username and password
Log in through your institution
Subscribe from £173 *
Subscribe and get access to all BMJ articles, and much more.
* For online subscription
Access this article for 1 day for:
£38 / $45 / €42 (excludes VAT)
You can download a PDF version for your personal record.