Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
Palliative Care Needs in Breast Cancer Patients Entering Inpatient Hospice in Western Kenya.
Breast cancer in Kenya is associated with a high mortality due to late stage disease at presentation and limited access to specialty care. ⋯ The low rate of surgical intervention leads to painful breast wounds that were a major factor for many women seeking hospice admission. The findings challenge our team to maintain expertise in pain and wound management but to also include breast cancer awareness in our rural outreach services.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
Healthcare Professionals' Experiences of the Barriers and Facilitators to Pediatric Pain Management in the Community at End-of-Life: A Qualitative Interview Study.
Inadequate pain management in community pediatric palliative care is common. Evidence to inform improved pain management in this population is limited. ⋯ Partnership working and trust between healthcare professionals and parents, and within healthcare teams, is needed for effective at-home pediatric palliative pain management. Community healthcare professionals require more education from experienced multidisciplinary teams to effectively manage pediatric pain at end-of-life and prevent emergency hospice or hospital admissions, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2022
No family should suffer from cervical cancer twice - the palliative care role in HPV prevention.
Cervical cancer, caused by human papillomavirus infection, is the source of significant personal and societal burden, and robs more than one hundred thousand Indian women and their families of the chances of a healthy and productive life each year. As outlined by the World Health Organization, the three-pronged approach of screening, vaccination, and reduction in mortality by early treatment presents the possibility of the elimination of cervical cancer as a public health problem in the next decade.1 Unfortunately, these approaches are all associated with significant barriers in India. ⋯ Offering prevention strategies for human papillomavirus aligns with the idea of preventing suffering and is within the scope of palliative care clinicians.
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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
How universal is Palliative Care in Colombia? A health policy and systems analysis.
Colombia's health sector reform has been recognized for its universal health (UHC) coverage scheme. However, this reform evolved without palliative care (PC), thereby omitting a core element of UHC. In this paper, we analyze the Colombian health system reform and health policies in relation to PC. ⋯ Advocacy efforts should include deans of schools and provosts, in addition to policy makers and regulators. Other possible factors affecting uptake and implementation of existing national policies are civil unrest and limited collaboration between government offices. Additional research is needed to evaluate the impact of these and other related factors on PC integration in Colombia.