Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Living with an Older Person Dying from Cancer, Lung Disease or Dementia: Health Outcomes from a General Practice Cohort Study.
Increasing numbers of people will die from chronic disease. Families contribute significantly to end-of-life care, but their role may not be recognized. ⋯ Recording of carers of terminally ill people was suboptimal. Cause of bereavement produced few differential effects on health outcomes or mortality.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Validation of the Amharic Version of the M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory and Assessment of Symptoms in Ethiopian Cancer Patients.
Cancer patients often face a variety of symptoms that impact their quality of life. The management of these symptoms is highly dependent on the accurate appraisal of their severity through the use of a standardized symptom assessment tool. The M. D. Anderson Symptom Inventory (MDASI), developed in English, is one of such tools that contain 13 core cancer related symptoms that can easily be rated on a scale of 0-10. ⋯ The MDASI-Am is a valid and reliable tool for measuring symptom severity and symptom interference with daily living in Ethiopian cancer patients.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Differences in Symptom Burden Among Patients with Moderate, Severe, or Very Severe Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease.
The symptom experience of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is extremely complex. It is characterized by multiple co-occurring symptoms. However, very few studies have described this experience in COPD patients. ⋯ Regardless of stage of disease, the high symptom burden identified in this study underscores the need for COPD patients to be screened for multiple co-occurring symptoms.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
A Mixed-Methods, Randomized, Controlled Feasibility Trial to Inform the Design of a Phase III Trial to Test the Effect of the Handheld Fan on Physical Activity and Carer Anxiety in Patients With Refractory Breathlessness.
The handheld fan is an inexpensive and safe way to provide facial airflow, which may reduce the sensation of chronic refractory breathlessness, a frequently encountered symptom. ⋯ A definitive, multisite trial to study the use of the handheld fan as part of self-management of chronic refractory breathlessness is feasible. Participants found the fan useful. However, the value of information for changing practice or policy is unlikely to justify the expense of such a trial, given perceived benefits, the minimal costs, and an absence of harms demonstrated in this study.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Chemotherapy Use in the Months Before Death and Estimated Costs of Care in the Last Week of Life.
Considerable attention has been paid to the disproportionately high costs of care for patients nearing death, yet little is known about the costs associated with chemotherapy use among end-stage cancer patients. ⋯ Chemotherapy for end-stage cancer patients is associated with higher estimated EOL care costs. Given evidence of limited benefit and potential harm of chemotherapy for end-stage cancer patients, the cost-effectiveness of such care is questioned and further study warranted.