Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2016
Multicenter StudyQuality of Care and Satisfaction with Care on Palliative Care Units.
There is little research on quality of care specific to palliative care units (PCUs). ⋯ The elements identified support the delivery of quality care. They may act as a guide for those planning to develop PCUs and form the basis for measures of satisfaction with care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2016
Multicenter StudyInitial Validation of the Daily Spiritual Experiences Scale in Chinese Immigrants with Cancer Pain.
Evaluating religious/spiritual influences in the growing Chinese-American population may inform the development of culturally relevant palliative care interventions. ⋯ In Chinese Americans with cancer pain, the DSES-C demonstrated acceptable psychometrics. Some participants experienced linguistic or cultural barriers preventing completion. Future investigations should provide additional validation in different Asian subgroups and those with varied medical conditions.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2016
Multicenter Study Observational StudyMinimal Clinically Important Difference in the Physical, Emotional and Total Symptom Distress Scores of the Edmonton Symptom Assessment System.
The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) is one of the most commonly used symptom batteries in clinical practice and research. ⋯ We identified the MCIDs for physical, emotional, and total symptom distress scores, which have implications for interpretation of symptom response in clinical trials.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2016
Multicenter StudyFeeling Heard and Understood: A Patient-Reported Quality Measure for the Inpatient Palliative Care Setting.
As endorsed by the palliative care "Measuring What Matters" initiative, capturing patients' direct assessment of their care is essential for ongoing quality reporting and improvement. Fostering an environment where seriously ill patients feel heard and understood is of crucial importance to modern health care. ⋯ The "Heard & Understood" item is a promising self-report quality measure for the inpatient palliative care setting.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2016
Multicenter Study Observational StudyThe Burden of Polypharmacy in Patients Near the End of Life.
Patients with advanced illness are prescribed multiple medications in the last year of life, intensifying the risk of negative consequences related to polypharmacy. ⋯ There is a significant medication burden placed on patients with advanced illness. Although most medications were prescribed for supportive care, we observed a high prevalence of medications for managing non-life-threatening comorbidities.