Bowers, Ben; Ryan, Richella; Kuhn, Isla; Barclay, Stephen
The anticipatory prescribing of injectable medications to provide end-of-life symptom relief is an established community practice in a number of countries. However, current anticipatory prescribing practice and policy is based on an inadequate evidence base. The authors conclude that the views and experiences of patients and their family carers towards anticipatory prescribing need urgent investigation and that further research is needed to investigate the impact of anticipatory prescribing on patients' symptoms and comfort, patient safety, and hospital admissions.