Journal of pain and symptom management
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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.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
Randomized Controlled TrialTranscranial Direct Current Stimulation (tDCS): pain management in end-stage renal disease - report of an early randomized controlled trial.
Chronic pain in end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is an increasingly neglected clinical problem affecting more than 60% of patients. Long-term chronic pain could be associated with brain imbalance in circuits of pain matrix and is associated with poor quality of life (QoL) and mood disturbance. ⋯ Anodal tDCS over the motor cortex emerges as a potential therapeutic approach for improving pain, QoL, and mood in patients with ESRD.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
The association between race and place of death among persons with dementia.
Little is known about racial differences in place of death for persons with dementia (PWD), who may be especially vulnerable to receiving care at end of life that is not concordant with their goals or that places higher burden on caregivers. ⋯ We found racial and ethnic differences in location of death for PWD, with black and hispanic PWD more likely to die in the hospital compared to white PWD. More research is needed to determine if the differences found represent goal concordant care or rather lack of access to high quality of care at the end of life.
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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.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2022
Postoperative Symptom Burden in Patients Undergoing Lung Cancer Surgery.
Previous studies on quality of life (QOL) after lung cancer surgery have identified a long duration of symptoms postoperatively. We first performed a systematic review of QOL in patients undergoing surgery for lung cancer. A subgroup analysis was conducted focusing on symptom burden and its relationship with QOL. ⋯ Lung cancer patients undergoing surgery carry a high symptom burden which impacts their QOL. Measurement approaches use myriad and heterogenous instruments. More research is needed to standardize symptom burden measurement and management, with the goal to improve patient experience and overall outcomes.