Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Observational StudyAssessment of Palliative Care Needs in a Kenyan Intensive Care Unit Using a Trigger-Based Model.
Palliative care triggers have been used in the intensive care unit (ICU) setting, usually in high-income countries, to identify patients who may benefit from palliative care consults. The utility and benefits of palliative care triggers in the ICU have not been previously studied in sub-Saharan Africa. ⋯ A trigger-based model, geared to the needs of the specific ICU, may be one way of improving integration of palliative care into the ICU, especially in sub-Saharan Africa.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Transitioning From Hospital to Palliative Care at Home: Patient and Caregiver Perceptions of Continuity of Care.
Continuity of care is important at improving the patient experience and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations when transitioning across care settings, especially at the end of life. ⋯ Patients' and their caregivers' valuation of continuity of care was dependent on their stage of the hospital-to-home transition. Optimizing continuity of care requires an integrated network of providers with reliable information transfer and communication.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Korean Version of the Patient Dignity Inventory: Translation and Validation in Patients with Advanced Cancer.
The goal of palliative care is to maximize the quality of life and thus maintain the dignity of patients facing problems associated with a life-threatening illness. The Patient Dignity Inventory (PDI) is an instrument used to measure various sources of distress that can impact patients' sense of dignity at the end of life. ⋯ Our findings indicate that the PDI-K is a valid and reliable instrument to measure dignity-related distress in patients with advanced cancer. This tool provides a four-factor Korean language alternative to the PDI.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
The Development of Palliative Care in Colombia: An analysis of geographical inequalities through the application of international indicators.
The national evaluation of an individual country is a tool used to improve the universal provision of palliative care. The evaluation of a country's internal situation, by means of an analysis of the development of palliative care by region, may also be an instrument for improvement. ⋯ Regional palliative care development is unequal and unbalanced. Applying international indicators to levels of regional development allows for the identification of geographical inequalities and highlights low palliative care development, especially in the rural areas of the country.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Feasibility of Safe Opioid Prescribing in Outpatient Palliative Care: A Quality Improvement Project.
No guidelines for safe opioid prescribing in palliative care exist, which contributes to limited monitoring of opioid misuse in palliative care. ⋯ Safe opioid prescribing measures are feasible in outpatient palliative care and can facilitate identification of individuals at risk for opioid misuse and prompt early interventions for misuse.