Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2001
Assessing delirium in cancer patients: the Italian versions of the Delirium Rating Scale and the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale.
To validate the Italian versions of the Delirium Rating Scale (DRS) and the Memorial Delirium Assessment Scale (MDAS), 105 cancer patients consecutively referred for neurological or psychiatric consultation for mental status change were evaluated using the Confusion Assessment Method (CAM), the DRS, the MDAS, and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). According to the CAM criteria and clinical examination, 66 patients were delirious, and 39 received diagnoses other than delirium. The DRS and the MDAS scores significantly distinguished delirious from non-delirious patients. ⋯ Exploratory factor analysis of the DRS and the MDAS suggested a three-factor and two-factor structure, respectively. Both instruments in their Italian version proved to be useful for the assessment of delirium among cancer patients. Further research is needed to examine the use of the DRS and the MDAS in other clinical contexts.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2001
Case ReportsGabapentin in phantom limb pain management in children and young adults: report of seven cases.
Seven children and young adults with phantom limb pain (PLP) were treated with gabapentin. PLP resolved in six patients within two months. ⋯ Mean follow up time was 1.74 years. Gabapentin may be a useful adjunct to pain management in patients with PLP symptoms.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2001
Care of the dying: setting standards for symptom control in the last 48 hours of life.
The hospice model of care of the dying patient is regarded as a model of excellence; however, outcomes of this care have been poorly demonstrated. Integrated Care Pathways (ICPs) provide a method of recording and measuring outcomes of care. The ICP document replaces all previous documentation and is a multiprofessional record of patient care. ⋯ For each symptom, 80% of patients had one episode or complete control of the symptom, 10% had two episodes, and 10% had three episodes or more recorded. As death neared, there was a statistically significant increase in the number of patients whose pain was controlled. The ICP has provided a means to measure symptom control in the dying patient and set standards of care, which is integrated into clinical practice.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2001
Congruity of cancer pain perceptions between Taiwanese patients and family caregivers: relationship to patients' concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics.
The purposes of this study were twofold: first, to examine the congruity of cancer pain perceptions between Taiwanese cancer patients and their family caregivers and second, to determine if there was a relationship between this congruity of perception and patients' concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics. A total of 89 dyads of oncology inpatients and their primary family caregivers participated in this study. The instruments completed by patients consisted of Barriers Questionnaire Taiwan Form, the Brief Pain Inventory Chinese version (BPI), the Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status scale, and a demographic questionnaire. ⋯ Family caregivers in the noncongruent group were more likely to be older and less educated. A patient's greater concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics were related to a lower level of congruity concerning pain perception between them and their family caregivers. Interventions aimed at overcoming patients' concerns about reporting pain and using analgesics may have beneficial effects on the congruency between pain perceptions of patients and family caregivers.