Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Clinical TrialThe impact of supporting family caregivers pre-bereavement on outcomes post-bereavement: Adequacy of end of life support and achievement of preferred place of death.
The investigation of the situation of bereaved family caregivers following caregiving during the end-of-life phase of illness has not received enough attention. ⋯ The results from this study provide evidence that the CSNAT intervention has a positive impact on perceived adequacy of support of bereaved family caregivers and achievement of preferred place of death according to caregivers. The benefits gained by caregivers in being engaged in early and direct assessment of their support needs before bereavement reinforce the need for palliative care services to effectively support caregivers well before the patient's death.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Czech version of the Patient Dignity Inventory: Translation and Validation in Incurable Patients.
The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) is a valid, reliable screening tool to assess a range of issues that have been reported to affect the sense of dignity in patients with life-limiting conditions. ⋯ The results from the study support the reliability of the PDI-CZ and its future use in patients with incurable cancer and noncancer patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
A Longitudinal Study of PROMIS Pediatric Symptom Clusters in Children Undergoing Chemotherapy.
Children in treatment for cancer experience multiple, troubling, and interrelated symptoms. Analyzing the interrelatedness of symptoms and how that changes during treatment could yield clinically relevant patient profiles to guide patient care. ⋯ Children experiencing troubling symptoms during cancer treatment are heterogeneous. With respect to the PROMIS symptom measures, two a priori unknown distinct latent profiles of patients were identified in a course of chemotherapy, and the transitions in the profile status were significantly predicted by a baseline single-item fatigue measure.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Association of Advance Directives Completion with the Utilization of Life-Sustaining Treatments during the End-of-Life Care in Older Patients.
Evidence is mixed regarding the impact of advance directives (ADs) on the utilization of end-of-life treatments. ⋯ AD completion was associated with a lower likelihood of receiving life-sustaining treatments during the last month of life in older patients. These findings support the continued use of AD in older population.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2018
Symptom intensity of hospice patients: A longitudinal analysis of concordance between patients' and nurses' outcomes.
Nearing death, hospice patients are increasingly unable or unwilling to self-report their symptom intensity and rely on nurses' assessments. ⋯ Concordance between patients' and nurses' assessment of symptom prevalence is good, and both patients and nurses reveal identical symptoms as most and least prevalent and intense. However, nurses tend to underestimate symptom intensity. Concordance between patients and nurses symptom intensity scores is poor and does not improve over time.