Journal of pain and symptom management
-
Slow codes, which occur when clinicians symbolically appear to conduct advanced cardiac life support but do not provide full resuscitation efforts, are ethically controversial. ⋯ Slow codes occur in practice, even though many clinicians ethically disagree with their use. The use of cardiac resuscitation attempts in medically futile situations can cause significant moral distress to medical professionals who agree or are forced to participate in them.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Impact of continuing medical education for physicians on the quality of cancer pain treatment in China.
The management of cancer pain has gained attention in China since the proposal of the three-step analgesic ladder in 1986 and has been further improved after the Chinese Ministry of Health launched the campaign for "Good Pain Management Ward" in 2011. The Beijing Pain Management Center for Quality Control and Improvement was formed with the intent to improve the quality of pain management by various means such as providing continuing medical education (CME) and conducting evaluation in Beijing, the capital of China. ⋯ CME significantly improved the quality of cancer pain treatment in the participating hospitals. Thus, standard CME courses may be adopted to improve the quality of cancer pain treatment by other regions in China and other countries.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Palliative Care Consultation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Study of Characteristics, Outcomes, and Unmet Needs.
Few studies have described the characteristics and palliative care needs in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ During this pandemic, understanding inpatient specialized palliative care needs and the vulnerable populations driving these causes may encourage health-care agencies and local, state, and federal governments to support the dedicated palliative care workforce.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Nutrition impact symptom clusters in patients with head and neck cancer receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
The objective of this study was to identify the nutrition impact symptom (NIS) clusters in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and explore their relationships with the weight loss rate (WLR). ⋯ The NIS had close internal connections with each other, so the strategies applied by healthcare professionals should focus on multiple related symptoms, especially to manage the RT-specific symptom cluster.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Observational StudyPrevalence and risk factors of breathlessness across Canada: A national retrospective cohort study in home care and nursing home populations.
Breathlessness is a symptom associated with poor clinical outcomes and prognosis. Little is known about its long-term trends and associations with social factors including decline in social activities and caregiver distress. ⋯ The prevalence of clinician-reported breathlessness is higher in home care than in nursing home populations, the former having risen by 10% over the decade. Prevalence of breathlessness is associated with decline in social activities and caregiver distress. Enhanced supports may be required to meet increasing patient need in the community.