Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
Association of Sickle Cell Pain & Symptoms on Health-Related Quality of Life Among Pediatric Patients.
Sickle cell disease (SCD) may cause significant complications leading to increased disease burden and poor psychosocial functioning. Yet, little is known about specific disease-related variables associated with decreased health-related quality of life (HRQOL) of this population. ⋯ Pain and disease-related symptoms separately predicted lower HRQOL scores in the study sample, which shows that other SCD-related symptoms aside from pain has the potential to negatively impact youth with SCD. Implications for these findings extend the knowledge of clinicians in the healthcare setting to recognize the detriment of other SCD-related symptoms that may be overlooked, as pain is often the focus.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
Observational StudyPolypharmacy in children and young people with life-limiting conditions from 2000-2015: a repeated cross-sectional study in England.
Polypharmacy is often appropriate for children with life-limiting conditions but is associated with an increase in hospitalizations and inappropriate prescribing, and can affect the quality of life of children and their families as they manage complex medication schedules. Despite this, little is known about polypharmacy in this population. ⋯ Children with life-limiting conditions have a high prevalence of polypharmacy and some children are at greater risk than others. More research is needed to understand and address the factors that lead to problematic polypharmacy in this population.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
The Supportive Care Clinic: a novel model of embedded pediatric palliative oncology care.
Pediatric palliative care (PPC) improves quality of life and end-of-life outcomes for children with cancer, but often occurs late in the disease course. The Supportive Care Clinic (SCC) was launched in 2017 to expand outpatient PPC access. ⋯ Embedded SCC clinics can be successful, achieve steady growth, improve referrals and timing of PPC, and enhance end-of-life care for children with cancer. Large pediatric cancer centers should include SCC outpatient services.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
ReviewBereavement support programs in the Intensive Care Unit: a systematic review.
The death of a loved one in the intensive care unit (ICU) may have a psychological impact on relatives of deceased ICU patients. The first aim of this review is to give an overview of different bereavement support strategies and possible different effects on anxiety, depression, Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), and complicated grief. Secondly to assess if there is a difference in organization among bereavement support strategies mentioned in literature. ⋯ A bereavement strategy consisting of multiple parts, including family participation and a brochure may reduce the levels of anxiety, depression, PTSD, and/or complicated bereavement in family members of deceased ICU patients.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
"Calling the Spirit Back:" Spiritual Needs Among Great Plains American Indians.
American Indians (AIs) are disproportionately affected by serious illness such as cancer. Colonization, cultural genocide, and trauma have adversely affected AIs' ability to attain health and well-being, and in many cases led to the loss of the right to practice traditional ceremonies and rituals. Still many AIs describe well-being as being rooted in spirituality. ⋯ It is critical that clinicians caring for AIs with serious illness seek to understand their patients' spiritual beliefs about disease treatment and death and work with them and their families to support quality of life throughout their illness journey. In addition, clinicians must recognize the systemic racism inherent in our healthcare systems, and dismantle cultural clashes and bias for all patients, particularly AIs, who have long suffered from poorer health outcomes.