Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2013
Emotional numbness modifies the effect of end-of-life discussions on end-of-life care.
Overall, end-of-life (EOL) discussions are unrelated to psychological distress and associated with lower rates of aggressive care near death. Nevertheless, patients who report that they feel emotionally numb about their illness might encounter difficulties cognitively processing an EOL discussion. ⋯ Emotional numbness diminishes a patient's capacity to benefit from EOL discussions. The EOL decision making may be more effective if clinical communications with emotionally numb patients are avoided.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2013
Review Case Reports Meta AnalysisDepression in terminally ill patients: dilemmas in diagnosis and treatment.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialA home-based exercise program to improve function, fatigue, and sleep quality in patients with Stage IV lung and colorectal cancer: a randomized controlled trial.
Exercise benefits patients with cancer, but studies of home-based approaches, particularly among those with Stage IV disease, remain small and exploratory. ⋯ A home-based exercise program seems capable of improving the mobility, fatigue, and sleep quality of patients with Stage IV lung and colorectal cancer.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2013
Controlled Clinical TrialManagement of moderate-to-severe dyspnea in hospitalized patients receiving palliative care.
Benzodiazepines (BZDs) are commonly prescribed for relief of dyspnea in palliative care, yet few data describe their efficacy. ⋯ Most patients reported improvement in dyspnea at 24 hours after palliative care service consultation. Consistent with existing evidence, most patients with dyspnea received opioids but only the combination of opioids and BZDs was independently associated with improvement in dyspnea. Further research on the role of BZDs alone and in combination with opioids may lead to better treatments for this distressing symptom.