Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
Prevalence, Severity and Correlates of Symptoms of Anxiety and Depression at the Very End of Life.
Rates of psychological symptoms for patients with serious illness are high, but there has been limited research investigating psychological symptoms at the very end of life (EOL). ⋯ Psychological symptom management at the very EOL is essential to providing comprehensive hospice care. Our study revealed that nearly half of all home hospice patients experience moderate-to-severe symptoms of anxiety and/or depression in the last week of life. Future research is needed to improve psychological symptom management at the very EOL to improve the quality of life for both patients and their families.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
Disparities in Hospice Utilization for Older Cancer Patients Living in the Deep South.
Hospice utilization is an end-of-life quality indicator. The Deep South has known disparities in palliative care that may affect hospice utilization. ⋯ Hospice utilization differed by patient and hospital characteristics. Patients who were nonwhite, and nonnavigated, and hospitals with inpatient palliative care beds, were associated with no hospice. Research should focus on ways to improve hospice utilization in Deep South older cancer patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
Interprofessional Team Member Communication Patterns, Teamwork, and Collaboration in Pre-family Meeting Huddles in a Pediatric Cardiac Intensive Care Unit.
Interprofessional teams often develop a care plan before engaging in a family meeting in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (CICU)-a process that can affect the course of the family meeting and alter team dynamics but that has not been studied. ⋯ Interprofessional team members' interactions in team meetings provide important information about team dynamics, revealing potential opportunities for improved collaboration and communication in team meetings and subsequent family meetings.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
The impact of radiodermatitis on breast cancer patients' quality of life during treatment: a prospective cohort study.
In the oncology field, quality of life (QoL) is recognized as an essential component. However, few studies have evaluated radiotherapy (RT) and its adverse events, specifically radiodermatitis. ⋯ RT negatively influenced the QoL of women with BC, with the greatest impact resulting from severe radiodermatitis. Actions aimed at minimizing the impairment on QoL need to be adopted to make this exhausting process less traumatic and easier to complete.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2019
Observational StudyClinical Patterns of Continuous and Intermittent Palliative Sedation in Terminal Cancer Patients: A Descriptive, Observational Study.
Limited information is available regarding the detailed clinical patterns of palliative sedation (PS), that is, the symptom control rate, salvage medication, and the effectiveness of intermittent PS (IPS) versus continuous PS (CPS). ⋯ The refractory symptoms of end-of-life patients with cancer can ultimately be relieved with various medications for PS. IPS may improve the consciousness level of patients with delirium.