Palliative & supportive care
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2015
Assessment of sleep disturbance in lung cancer patients: relationship between sleep disturbance and pain, fatigue, quality of life, and psychological distress.
We investigated the prevalence of sleep disturbance and psychological distress in lung cancer patients. We also examined the association between sleep disturbance and psychological distress, pain, fatigue, and quality of life in the same population. ⋯ Lung cancer patients suffered from combined symptoms related to sleep. Sleeping pills improved sleep induction but were not sufficient to provide sleep quality and prevent daytime dysfunction. Daytime dysfunction was specifically associated with psychological distress. Additionally, the type of sleep disturbance was related to other patient factors, including whether or not they received chemotherapy.
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2015
Social support needs: discordance between home hospice nurses and former family caregivers.
The two goals of our study were to (1) identify which of five types of social support (Informational, Esteem, Emotional, Tangible, Belonging) are most cited by hospice nurses and family caregivers and (2) determine the match in perception of support needs. ⋯ Because matching support provided with the type of support desired has been linked to improved physical and psychological outcomes, it is important to focus on this match in healthcare populations particularly vulnerable to psychological stress, including family caregivers of home hospice patients. This research has implications for interventions to match support provision to caregiver needs, or for education for home hospice providers to ensure that they are not only sensitive to the possibility of a broad range of needs but also to the necessity to tailor care to those needs.
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2015
Coping, psychopathology, and quality of life in cancer patients under palliative care.
To assess hopelessness, anxiety, depression, and quality of life in cancer patients undergoing palliative treatment by comparing their scores at the onset of treatment and one month later and by assessing possible correlations with coping strategies. ⋯ The employment of problem-focused coping strategies exerted a positive impact on the end-of-life process and, above all, protected patients from the negative experiences associated with psychiatric symptoms, thus enabling them to look for alternative solutions for experiencing the end-of-life process in a more well-adjusted manner.
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Caregivers often are unprepared for their role yet serve as the frontline in the provision of palliative care services. The aim of our study was to explore family caregivers' experiences from their perspective as they cared for dying relatives. ⋯ Caregivers perform a variety of tasks, often under stress. This study highlights the main areas where problems lie and the areas that palliative care health professionals need to be aware of so they can assist and educate caregivers, with the goal of finding solutions to the burdens of care. The themes were found to be intertwined, showing the complexity of the caregiving role.
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2015
ReviewFamily communication and decision making at the end of life: a literature review.
Patients and families coping with a terminal illness are faced with a number of decisions over the course of their disease. The role that family communication plays in the process of decision making is an important one. The objectives for this review are to examine the current state of empirical literature on the relationship between family communication and decision making about end-of-life care, to identify gaps, and to discuss implications for policy, practice, and future research. ⋯ Barriers to end-of-life care are important considerations for helping patients to access timely and appropriate services. Understanding the pertinent role of family communication as it relates to the decision for EoL care is the first step in working to provide another avenue for overcoming these barriers.