Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2010
Randomized Controlled TrialEfficacy of short-term life-review interviews on the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients.
There is a little information about effective psychotherapies to enhance the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients. ⋯ We conclude that the Short-Term Life Review is effective in improving the spiritual well-being of terminally ill cancer patients, and alleviating psychosocial distress and promoting a good death.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2010
Qualities of fatigue and associated chronic conditions among older adults.
Although fatigue is a common and distressing symptom, a well-specified definition of fatigue is lacking. One of the least well-defined aspects of fatigue is its quality, which might reflect the underlying pathophysiology. ⋯ These first steps in exploring fatigue qualities suggest that different fatigue qualities could represent disparate manifestations of a common underlying etiology, while not ruling out distinct underlying pathophysiologies.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2010
Review Meta AnalysisA systematic review of topical treatments to control the odor of malignant fungating wounds.
Malignant fungating wounds (MFW) result from cutaneous infiltration by carcinogenic cells. Fetid odor, profuse exudate, pain, and infection are common symptoms that add to the physical and psychological suffering of patients with MFW. The topical treatment of MFW remains controversial. ⋯ Of the 59 studies of odor, 20 fulfilled all the criteria for inclusion. Few studies of high quality were found, and the principal methodological flaws were the design of the studies, the sample size, and the absence of scales to measure odor. Grade B evidence for the treatment of MFW was found with topical metronidazole, Mesalt dressing, activated carbon dressing, and curcumin ointment.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2010
Review GuidelineASCPRO recommendations for the assessment of fatigue as an outcome in clinical trials.
Development of pharmacological and behavioral interventions for cancer-related fatigue (CRF) requires adequate measures of this symptom. A guidance document from the Food and Drug Administration offers criteria for the formulation and evaluation of patient-reported outcome measures used in clinical trials to support drug or device labeling claims. ⋯ There exist in the literature good measures of CRF for clinical trials, with strong evidence of clarity and comprehensibility to patients, content and construct validity, reliability, and sensitivity to change in conditions in which one would expect them to change (assay sensitivity), and sufficient evidence to establish guides for interpreting changes in scores. Direction for future research is discussed.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2010
Supporting hope and prognostic information: nurses' perspectives on their role when patients have life-limiting prognoses.
Clinicians often feel challenged by the need to deliver difficult prognostic information to patients with a life-limiting illness while, at the same time, support their hopes. Few studies have examined nurses' perspectives on their roles in meeting these patient and family needs. ⋯ Nurses describe behaviors that are useful when meeting patients' and families' needs for hope and which they are comfortable implementing in practice, without collaboration with other clinicians. By contrast, most behaviors related to meeting patients' and families' needs regarding prognostic information are completed collaboratively with physicians. These findings provide insight for the development of interdisciplinary interventions targeting communication around end-of-life care.