Nausea and vomiting

First principles

• Symptoms are best controlled if the underlying cause for the symptom can be identified and treated or removed.
• In advanced life-limiting illness it may not be possible or appropriate to identify the underlying cause of a symptom or to treat the cause if found. In these circumstances a ‘palliative’ treatment is indicated.
• All recommendations in this paper relate to the treatment of patients with advanced life-limiting illness.