Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
A PILOT STUDY OF THE EFFECTS OF COMPLETE: A COMMUNICATION PLAN EARLY THROUGH END OF LIFE, ON END OF LIFE OUTCOMES IN CHILDREN WITH CANCER.
Most children with cancer die in hospital settings, without hospice, and many suffer from high-intensity medical interventions and pain at end of life (EOL). ⋯ COMPLETE resulted in increased hospice enrollment in children with cancer at EOL compared with historical controls. In preanalysis/postanalysis, COMPLETE decreased child pain while supporting hope and reducing uncertainty in their parents.
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After COVID-19 crisis in Italy, serious restrictions have been introduced for relatives, with limitations or prohibitions on hospital visits. To partially overcome these issues "WhatsApp" has been adopted to get family members to participate in clinical rounds. Family members of patients admitted to the acute palliative care unit and hospice were screened for a period of two weeks. ⋯ Most family members had a good impression, providing scores of 2 or 3 for the first three items. However, the real presence bedside (forth question) was considered irreplaceable. They perceived that their loved one, when admitted to hospice, had to say good-bye before dying.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
Healthcare providers' views on the transition between hospital and primary care in patients in the palliative phase: a qualitative description study.
Inadequate handovers between hospital and home can lead to adverse health outcomes. A group particularly at risk is patients at the end of life because of complex health problems, frequent care transitions, and involvement of many professionals. ⋯ Efforts should be made to enhance knowledge and skills around identification of palliative needs and communication with patients about the end of life, especially in the hospital setting.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
A virtual children's hospice in response to COVID-19: The Scottish experience.
This case report describes a pediatric hospice provider in Scotland and their experience implementing a telehospice program in response to COVID-19. Children's Hospices Across Scotland (CHAS) is the only provider of pediatric hospice care in the entire of Scotland, and we describe their experience offering pediatric telehospice. ⋯ They creatively added new services to meet the unique needs of the entire family, who were caring for a child at end of life during COVID-19. CHAS's experience highlights the planning and implementing processes of telehospice with key lessons learned, while acknowledging the challenges inherent in using technology to deliver hospice care.