Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
Hand-held fans: Physical properties and perceptions of patients with COPD.
Patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) may remain breathless despite optimal medical treatment. Hand-held fans (HHFs) are recommended to relieve breathlessness, but little is known about physical properties of different fans and the impact HHF properties may have on patient perceptions of fans. ⋯ The physical properties of the five included HHFs are quite distinct. Patient preference was related to pleasantness of airflow, perceived airflow, and measured airflow at 30cm. Gender differences in perceived airflow were noted. Future research should explore the relationship between HHF characteristics and relief of breathlessness.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
The Pediatric Palliative Improvement Network: a national healthcare learning collaborative.
Although multiple national organizations have created consensus guidelines and metrics for pediatric palliative care (PPC), standardized implementation and measurement has been challenging. In 2016, 6 PPC physician-experts in program development and quality improvement (QI) formed a healthcare learning collaborative network entitled the Pediatric Palliative Improvement Network (PPIN). ⋯ PPIN has become a sustainable organization which improves the quality of PPC through focus on national QI methods training, successful collaborative projects, and the creation of a learning and peer support community with regular calls. With the advent of the Palliative Care Quality Collaborative in 2020, PPIN provides critical educational and organizational infrastructure to inform ongoing quality efforts in PPC, now and in the future.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
ReviewMulti-dimensional dyspnea-related scales validated in individuals with cardio-respiratory and cancer diseases. A Systematic Review of psychometric properties.
In order to examine the multi-dimensional nature of dyspnea and its impact on the activities of daily living (ADLs) in patients with cardio-respiratory and cancer diseases, validated measures are needed. ⋯ Despite the potential of the identified scales, further studies are needed to strength evidence on the validity and reliability of the multi-dimensional dyspnea scales. Furthermore, more studies appraising the content validity and responsiveness of the scales are specifically recommended.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
Observational StudyDeterminants of distinct trajectories of fatigue in patients undergoing chemotherapy for a metastatic colorectal cancer: 6-month follow-up using Growth Mixture Modeling.
This longitudinal prospective and observational study was designed to identify fatigue trajectories during a 6-month period of chemotherapy in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer, and examine the psychosocial factors predicting these trajectories. Associations between fatigue and survival were also investigated. ⋯ Fatigue trajectories differed considerably across patients with metastatic colorectal cancer. This first longitudinal study on colorectal cancer patients involving transactional variables suggests that psychosocial interventions should target these specific outcomes, in order to help patients manage their fatigue.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
Characteristics of Cancer-Related Fatigue and Concomitant Sleep Disturbance in Cancer Patients.
Cancer patients often experience cancer-related fatigue (CRF) and sleep disturbances due to cancer and cancer treatment, and symptoms can persist long after treatment. Despite these common occurrences, few studies simultaneously characterize CRF and sleep architecture among cancer patients. ⋯ The results highlight the promise of an interdisciplinary collaboration between dedicated a CRF clinic and sleep clinic to conduct effective assessments to identify treatable CRF and sleep disorders.