# Care of dying adults in the last days of life

Source: https://onco.cc/terms/last-days-of-life-care/  
OnCo record `last-days-of-life-care` (Term). Data CC BY-NC 4.0, attribute "Data from OnCo (onco.cc)"; commercial use needs a licence.

## TL;DR

In the last days of life, care focuses on comfort: recognising that someone is dying, talking openly with them and their family, keeping them hydrated if that helps, and having medicines ready for pain, breathlessness, sickness, agitation and noisy breathing.

## Summary

NICE guideline NG31, Care of dying adults in the last days of life, was published on 16 December 2015 and covers the clinical care of adults (18 and over) who are dying during the last 2 to 3 days of life. Its recommendations cover recognising when people are entering the last few days of life, communicating and shared decision-making, clinically assisted hydration, medicines for pain, breathlessness, nausea and vomiting, anxiety, delirium, agitation and noisy respiratory secretions, and anticipatory prescribing. It is written for professionals in primary care, care homes, hospices, hospitals and people's homes, and for people who are dying and those important to them.

## Fields

- Kind: Term
- Last checked: 2026-11-04
- Also known as: care of the dying; last days of life; anticipatory prescribing; just in case medicines
- Tags: supportive; carer

## Sources

- NICE NG31: care of dying adults in the last days of life: https://www.nice.org.uk/guidance/ng31

## Connected records

- technologies: [Cancer pain management](https://onco.cc/technologies/pain-management/), [Early integrated palliative care](https://onco.cc/technologies/palliative-care/), [Hospice and end-of-life care](https://onco.cc/technologies/hospice-end-of-life/)
- terms: [End-of-life care at home (hospice at home)](https://onco.cc/terms/hospice-at-home/), [Palliative sedation](https://onco.cc/terms/palliative-sedation/)

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