Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2018
Validation of the Amharic Version of the Brief Fatigue Inventory for Assessment of Cancer-Related Fatigue in Ethiopian Cancer Patients.
Although cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is a highly prevalent and distressing symptom associated with cancer and its treatment, it is mostly underscreened, underassessed, and undertreated. The Brief Fatigue Inventory (BFI) is a reliable and valid instrument to assess CRF. ⋯ The BFI-Am is an excellent assessment tool with adequate psychometric properties for use in both clinical management and symptom research of CRF in Ethiopian cancer patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2018
Comparative StudyAn Analysis of Palliative Care Development in Africa: A Ranking Based on Region-Specific Macroindicators.
To date, there is no study comparing palliative care (PC) development among African countries. ⋯ Uganda, South Africa, and Kenya are the highest performing countries and were the only ones with composite scores greater than 0.5 (50%). However, not one country universally supersedes all others across all four PC dimensions. The breakdown of rankings by dimension highlights where even high-performing African countries can focus their efforts to further PC development.
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PC-FACS(FastArticleCriticalSummaries for Clinicians inPalliativeCare) provides hospice and palliative care clinicians with concise summaries of the most important findings from more than 100 medical and scientific journals. If you have colleagues who would benefit from receiving PC-FACS, please encourage them to join the AAHPM at aahpm.org. Comments from readers are welcomed at pc-facs@aahpm.org.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2018
'The Thing that Really Gets Me Is the Future': Symptomatology in Older Homeless Adults in the HOPE HOME Study.
The homeless population is aging. Older homeless adults experience premature development of age-related conditions and an elevated symptom burden. Little is known about symptom experience among older homeless adults. ⋯ Homelessness causes and exacerbates physical and psychological distress. Interventions should address multiple interconnected dimensions of suffering. Health systems that care for homeless patients should adapt palliative care practices using a stepwise approach. Homeless shelters should adopt policies and modifications that increase privacy and autonomy while promoting community building. Housing interventions should promote community building. All who work with people experiencing homelessness should avoid stigmatizing language and recognize homeless individuals' sources of strength and coping.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2018
Advance Care Planning in a Multicultural Family Centric Community: A Qualitative Study of Health Care Professionals', Patients', and Caregivers' Perspectives.
Advance care planning (ACP) has been shown to improve end-of-life care, but it was developed in the U.S., and most research has been conducted in western communities. ⋯ A nuanced approach to ACP that considers the family network is required in multicultural family centric communities. Policies should be reconciled to create a more consistent message that respects patients, the family, and is legally coherent. Further research could focus on adaptations of ACP to promote its acceptance in such communities.