Palliative medicine is a relatively young field with a slowly evolving evidence base. It is, perhaps, one of the more challenging disciplines in which to develop an evidence base given the difficulties of conducting studies in an end stage patient population. This book is a welcome addition to the efforts to establish and document the evidence for interventions in symptom management in end of life care.

The intent of this book is to “allow clinicians to improve their patients’ clinical outcomes and quality of remaining life.” It does not aim to be a palliative care textbook. The editors urge that the evidence be assimilated with clinical knowledge and that the resultant care should be …