Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2015
The Quantitative Analgesic Questionnaire: A Tool to Capture Patient-Reported Chronic Pain Medication Use.
The extent to which patients take chronic pain medications as prescribed is not well studied, and there are no generally agreed-upon measures. The Quantitative Analgesic Questionnaire (QAQ) is a new instrument designed to comprehensively document patient-reported medication use, generate scores to quantify it (by individual drug, class, and/or overall), and compare it (qualitatively and/or quantitatively) to the regimen as prescribed. ⋯ The QAQ is a simple tool that can facilitate understanding of patient-reported chronic pain medication regimens, including calculation of percent adherence and generation of quantitative scores suitable for estimating and tracking change in medication use over time.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2015
Patterns of End-of-Life Care in Children with Advanced Solid Tumor Malignancies Enrolled on a Palliative Care Service.
Pediatric patients with solid tumors can have a significant symptom burden that impacts quality of life (QoL) and end-of-life care needs. ⋯ Although children with solid tumor malignancies may have significant symptom burden toward the end of life, positive changes were documented in communication and in places of care and death after implementation of a pediatric PC service.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2015
Neonatal Infant Pain Scale: Cross-Cultural Adaptation and Validation in Brazil.
The Neonatal Infant Pain Scale (NIPS), initially developed in Canada, has been previously used but not adequately adapted and validated for use in Brazil. ⋯ The NIPS was successfully adapted for use in Brazil and is now available for use in the assessment of acute pain in at-term newborns in Brazil.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2015
Assessing the Quality of Death and Dying in an Integrated Health Care System in Rural Pennsylvania.
With growing emphasis on improving the value of health care, there is increased scrutiny of quality outcomes and high health expenditures during the final months of life. ⋯ Several findings suggest that factors such as NOK depression and anxiety, prolonged illness, dying in the hospital, receipt of conflicting information, and confusion around the doctor in charge are associated with lower quality of the dying and death experience for NOK. Further investigation is warranted to facilitate high-quality measurement and the use of measurement results to improve care.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2015
Parents' Experiences of Pediatric Palliative Transports: A Qualitative Case Series.
Pediatric palliative transports, the practice of transporting critically ill children home for end-of-life care including extubation, are an option for children requiring high levels of medical support at end of life. Little is known about the experience from the perspective of the children and families. ⋯ Each parent found the experience positive and meaningful. The child's experiences when alive, not events at the time of death, were remembered. All parents recommended palliative transports, emphasizing the importance of home and family, when desired. These interviews strongly suggest that palliative transports make a positive, important contribution to the care of at least some children facing end of life, and their families.