Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyA randomized trial of weekly symptom telemonitoring in advanced lung cancer.
Lung cancer patients experience multiple, simultaneous symptoms related to their disease and treatment that impair functioning and health-related quality of life (HRQL). Computer technology can reduce barriers to nonsystematic, infrequent symptom assessment and potentially contribute to improved patient care. ⋯ Feasibility of using a technology-based system for systematic symptom monitoring in advanced lung cancer patients was demonstrated. Future research should focus on identifying patients most likely to benefit and other patient, provider, and health system factors likely to contribute to the system's success.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialA randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of fentanyl buccal tablets for breakthrough pain: efficacy and safety in Japanese cancer patients.
Rapid-onset opioids for treating breakthrough pain (BTP) in patients with cancer are needed in the Japanese care setting. ⋯ The safety of FBT and its analgesic effect on BTP were confirmed in Japanese cancer patients receiving opioids. Our findings suggest that analgesic onset may occur from 15 minutes after FBT, and that FBT can be administered to patients with low doses of ATC opioids.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2014
Is the Life Space Assessment applicable to a palliative care population? Its relationship to measures of performance and quality of life.
The spatial environments that palliative care patients frequent for business and leisure constrict as their disease progresses and their physical functioning deteriorates. Measuring a person's movement within his or her own environment is a clinically relevant and patient-centered outcome because it measures function in a way that reflects actual and not theoretical participation. ⋯ The LSA appears applicable to palliative care populations given the convergent validity and capacity of this instrument to differentiate a person's ability to move through life-space zones by performance status. Further research is required to validate and apply the LSA within community palliative care populations.