Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2010
Expanding the reach of palliative care to community-based home care programs.
This article describes a pilot project, run over a two-year period in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. It was aimed at assessing the impact of a model of introducing a palliative care component and professional supervision of community caregivers on the quality of care given to people living with HIV/AIDS and their families. The use of the African Palliative Care Association African Palliative Outcome Scale as an assessment tool is outlined, and the challenges and outcomes encountered by the various role players are listed. The overall conclusion is that this model is a cost-effective way of increasing access to palliative care in resource poor settings.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2010
Palliative care in correctional centers-HPCA making progress in South Africa.
In KwaZulu Natal (KZN), the Hospice Palliative Care Association of South Africa (HPCA) has made a significant start in terms of addressing the palliative care needs of prisoners. A formal partnership has been established between the KZN Department of Correctional Services and the HPCA that allows staff at two correctional facilities to be mentored and equipped to provide palliative care to offenders. This pilot project has the potential for rollout at other facilities across the country. It is hoped that this vulnerable population group will be better able to access palliative care, which is a basic human right, for life-threatening and terminal conditions.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2010
Validation and application of the Arabic version of the M. D. Anderson symptom inventory in Moroccan patients with cancer.
Little is known about symptom burden-a concept encompassing both symptom severity and the degree of symptom interference with daily living-in patients with cancer in Morocco or other countries with Arabic-speaking populations. ⋯ The MDASI-A is a valid and reliable patient-reported outcome instrument that can be used to assess Moroccan Arabic-speaking cancer patients' multiple symptoms. Its utility for use in other Arab countries needs to be tested.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2010
Integrating palliative care into HIV outpatient clinical settings: preliminary findings from an intervention study in Vietnam.
Symptom assessment and treatment for people living with HIV (PLHIV) cannot only lead to improvements in quality of life but contribute to combination antiretroviral adherence and early detection of virologic rebound. The majority of PLHIV in Vietnam receive their care in HIV outpatient settings, whereas very few clinics provide palliative care. The Ministry of Health has called for palliative care to be incorporated into existing HIV and cancer services, but there is limited guidance regarding how to operationalize integration. ⋯ The palliative care intervention included introduction of tools and mentoring to assess and treat pain and other symptoms as well as mental health and social support screening, counseling, and treatment services. The intervention resulted in significant changes in provider practice and service delivery. Providers and patients reported overall satisfaction with the intervention and resulting improvements in quality of care.