Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2021
Letter Controlled Clinical TrialFeasibility of an online integrative oncology treatment program during COVID-19.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2021
Frequency and Characteristics of First-Time Palliative Care Referrals During the Last Day of Life.
Palliative care referrals (PCRs) improve symptom management, provide psychosocial and spiritual support, clarify goals of care, and facilitate discharge planning. However, very late PCR can result in increased clinician distress and prevent patients and families from benefiting from the full spectrum of interdisciplinary care. ⋯ Although only a small proportion of first-time PCR occurred in the last 24 hours of life, the patients had a significant amount of distress, indicating a missed opportunity for timely palliative care intervention. These sentinel events call for specific guidelines to better support patients, families, and clinicians during this difficult time. Further research is needed to understand how to minimize very late PCR.