Palliative & supportive care
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2016
Psyche at the end of life: Psychiatric symptoms are prevalent in patients admitted to a palliative care unit.
Our aim was to evaluate the frequency and treatment of psychiatric symptoms in patients at palliative care units (PCUs). ⋯ Undetected psychiatric comorbidities are common in patients receiving palliative care. Screening for psychiatric symptoms should be integrated into standard palliative care to optimize treatment and reduce the psychosocial burden of the disease.
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2016
An examination of the research priorities for a hospice service in New Zealand: A Delphi study.
Palliative care research is relatively diverse and prioritizing research in this field is dependent on multiple factors such as complex ethical decisions in designing and conducting the research; access to participants who may be deemed "vulnerable" and an increasingly medically focused approach to care. The aim of this study was to inform organizational decision-making and policy development regarding future research priorities for a hospice service in New Zealand. ⋯ The study generated a rich set of research themes and specific research topics. The perspectives of staff and volunteers are significantly different from those of patients and family members, in spite of the recognition by all concerned that palliative care services work within a philosophy of patient-centered care. Open discussion of ideas has the potential to engage both staff and patients and carers in quality improvement initiatives, and to reinforce the value of research for patient care.
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Palliat Support Care · Jun 2016
Terminal delirium misdiagnosed as major psychiatric disorder: Palliative care in a psychiatric inpatient unit.
Delirium is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by acute change in cognition and disturbance of consciousness. A similar state during the final days of life is termed "terminal delirium." ⋯ Early diagnosis of terminal delirium helps prevent patients, family members, and staff from undergoing severe emotional distress and facilitates appropriate end-of-life care.