Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2013
Association between referral-to-death interval and location of death of patients referred to a hospital-based specialist palliative care service.
The time interval between palliative care referral and death may play a role in determining the last place of care and location of death of patients referred to palliative care teams. ⋯ Longer referral-to-death interval was associated with death outside the hospital for patients enrolled in a hospital-based service. The study highlights the importance of early referral in predicting the last place of care and location of death of palliative care patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2013
Review Meta AnalysisAssessment and management of adult cancer pain: a systematic review and synthesis of recent qualitative studies aimed at developing insights for managing barriers and optimizing facilitators within a comprehensive framework of patient care.
Cancer pain is a common, burdensome problem, which is not well managed despite evidence-based guidelines. ⋯ Findings highlight the need to integrate patient/family education within improved communication, individualize care, use more nonpharmacological strategies, empower patients/families to self-manage pain, and reorganize multidisciplinary roles around patient-centered care and outcomes. These conclusions require validation via consensus and intervention trials.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyOnce-daily gastroretentive gabapentin for postherpetic neuralgia: integrated efficacy, time to onset of pain relief and safety analyses of data from two phase 3, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled studies.
Treatment options for postherpetic neuralgia (PHN), a complication of herpes zoster, are commonly unsatisfactory and associated with adverse events. ⋯ PHN pain reduction after G-GR treatment can be observed as early as the second day of dosing and continues for at least 10 weeks.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2013
Randomized Controlled TrialDoes assessing patients' expectancies about chemotherapy side effects influence their occurrence?
Increasing evidence suggests a link between patients' expectancies and post-chemotherapy side effects. However, it remains unclear whether asking patients about their expectancies might actually increase side effects. ⋯ These findings suggest that patient expectancies might be a useful point of intervention for attempting to reduce the burden of chemotherapy-related side effects, as there do not appear to be any detrimental effects of asking patients to report their expectancies and their expectancies do appear related to the occurrence of post-treatment side effects.