Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2023
Should (prophylactic) medications be used for the management of death rattle?
Death rattle is a common symptom in the dying phase and has impact on relatives and health care providers. One controversial topic regarding the management of death rattle in the dying phase is whether the symptom should be treated. In this "Controversies in Palliative Care" article, three expert clinicians independently answer this question. ⋯ But considering the known burden on some of the relatives, there might be good reasons to use medication to relieve this symptom. Whether this treatment should be performed preventively or only when death rattle develops remains an matter of debate. Further scientific, clinical, and societal debate on the concept of a "good death" for relatives, the meaning of the symptom death rattle, and the impact of medication is needed.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2023
ReviewThe Experience of Black Patients with Serious Illness in the United States: A Scoping Review.
Black patients experience health disparities in access and quality of care. ⋯ More articles focused on establishing evidence of disparities between Black and White patients than on understanding their root causes. Further investigation is warranted to understand how factors at the patient, provider, health system, and society levels interact to remediate disparities.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2023
ReviewEvaluating physician emotion regulation in serious illness conversations using multimodal assessment.
Emotion regulation by the physician can influence the effectiveness of serious illness conversations. The feasibility of multimodal assessment of emotion regulation during these conversations is unknown. ⋯ Our novel, multimodal assessment of physician emotion regulation was feasible in a simulated SICG encounter. Physicians exhibited an incomplete understanding of their emotion regulation strategies.
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Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is an incurable neurodegenerative disease of the motor neurons. Given the evolutive characteristics of this disease, palliative care principles should be a foundation of ALS care. A multidisciplinary medical intervention is of paramount importance in the different phases of disease. ⋯ The principal problems which require intensive supportive care include cognitive disturbances, psychological distress, pain, sialorrhrea, nutrition, and ventilatory support. Communication skills of health-care professionals are mandatory to manage the inevitability of death. Palliative sedation has peculiar aspects in this population, particularly with the decision of withdrawing ventilatory support.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialThe Quick FICS: 5 and 10 Item Versions of The Family Inpatient Communication Survey.
Communication quality in the hospital impacts outcomes like satisfaction, depression, and anxiety for families, and assessment tools must be efficient and reliable. ⋯ The Quick FICS offers efficient, valid, and reliable evaluation of communication quality in the hospital that can be useful for research and quality improvement.