Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2015
Multicenter StudyFeasibility of using algorithm-based clinical decision support for symptom assessment and management in lung cancer.
Distressing symptoms interfere with the quality of life in patients with lung cancer. Algorithm-based clinical decision support (CDS) to improve evidence-based management of isolated symptoms seems promising, but no reports yet address multiple symptoms. ⋯ The CDS systems, such as SAMI-L, have the potential to fill a gap in promoting evidence-based care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2015
Reduction of acute hospital admissions and improvement in outpatient attendance by intensified renal palliative care clinic follow-up: the Hong Kong experience.
End-stage renal failure patients often fail to attend scheduled renal palliative care clinic (RPCC) follow-up because of acute hospital admissions, causing negative impact on patients' well-being and health care burden. ⋯ Our pilot results suggested that intensifying RPCC follow-up minimized the utilization of acute medical services and improved outpatient attendance at RPCC.
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Exploring contemplative practices and spirituality in social work has developed a new impetus as the understanding of the importance of those variables in patient care has increased. Social work brings its historical attention to the whole person and the many ways the social worker and patient understand their respective roles in assisting in the process of healing and coping with loss. It is essential that social workers attend to their own understanding of the space for contemplative practice in their lives. This article sets the context for this important work and provides an example of a program designed to increase the social worker's awareness and practice skills that reflect the particular dynamics of engaging spirituality in the clinical relationship.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2015
Observational StudySymptom clusters predict mortality among dialysis patients in Norway: a prospective observational cohort study.
Patients with end-stage renal disease on dialysis have reduced survival rates compared with the general population. Symptoms are frequent in dialysis patients, and a symptom cluster is defined as two or more related co-occurring symptoms. ⋯ Clustering of uremic symptoms predicted mortality. Assessing co-occurring symptoms rather than single symptoms may help to identify dialysis patients at high risk for mortality.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2015
Psychometric properties of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-Fatigue) in Chinese patients receiving maintenance dialysis.
Fatigue is a common symptom reported by patients with end-stage renal disease, and it can significantly decrease patients' quality of life. A brief and convenient fatigue assessment tool is needed for Chinese patients on maintenance dialysis. ⋯ The FACIT-Fatigue had acceptable validity and reliability for maintenance dialysis patients and can be used as a valid tool for the measurement of fatigue among these Chinese patients.