Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2024
Economic Value of Unpaid Family Caregiver Time Following Hospital Discharge and at End of Life.
Family caregivers (FCGs) play a crucial role in care for people with serious illness, yet unpaid care is often overlooked in estimates of care recipient (CR) care costs. ⋯ Of 282 FCGs, 94% were non-Hispanic White, 71% were female, 71% had a college degree, and 51% were in the workforce. FCGs of decedents (58%) compared to survivors reported significantly more caregiving hours per person-month (392 vs. 272), resulting in higher estimated economic value per person-month using opportunity ($12,653 vs. $8843), proxy ($5689 vs. $3955), and combined costing methods ($9490 vs. $6443) CONCLUSION: This study informs more complete economic evaluations of palliative care by estimating the economic value of unpaid caregiving. The high intensity of unpaid caregiving for people with serious illness, especially toward the end of life, should be considered when designing policies and interventions to support FCGs. Better methods for approximating economic value are needed to address potential inequities in current valuation approaches.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2024
Towards a crisis management playbook: Hospice and palliative team members' views amid COVID-19.
The critical role of hospice and palliative care in response to the COVID-19 pandemic is well recognized, but there is limited evidence to guide healthcare leadership through future crises. ⋯ While additional work is indicated, findings offer direction for a crisis management playbook to guide leadership in hospice, palliative care, and other healthcare settings in future crises.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2024
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyPredictors of Specialty Outpatient Palliative Care Utilization Among Persons with Serious Illness.
Outpatient Palliative Care (OPC) benefits persons living with serious illness, yet barriers exist in utilization. ⋯ Efforts to improve OPC utilization should focus on those with lower education, more functional limitations, older age, female sex, and those with less social support. Trial Registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03325985.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Dec 2024
Controlled Clinical TrialAn Integrative Pediatric Oncology Program Addressing Parents' Quality of Life-Related Concerns.
Parents of children with cancer face bio-psycho-social-spiritual concerns which can significantly reduce quality of life (QoL). We examined the impact of an integrative oncology (IO) intervention on QoL-related concerns among parents of children in a pediatric hematology-oncology department. ⋯ IO interventions in pediatric hematology-oncology addressing QoL-related concerns among parents are feasible, potentially increasing predominantly physical symptoms and functioning. Further research is needed to confirm these "real-world" clinical outcomes, and the role of IO in "Caring for the Caregiver".