Diagnosing dying

To recognise when a patient you are working with is actively dying, i.e., in the last 24-48 hours of life.

This course concentrates on the assessment of the actively dying person. Assessment is not a one-time event; it must be ongoing to be effective. Expected and sudden or unexpected death will be covered, but the focus is primarily on the last 24-48 hours of a person’s life. This time period is also known as the “terminal phase” or when someone is “actively dying.”  

Acknowledgements

Written by Pulasthi Mithraratne, MBChB, PGDipPaed, FRNZCGP, with expert review by Dr Ann Kim (Mercy Hospice).