Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Randomized Controlled TrialDyadic Yoga for Head and Neck Cancer Patients Undergoing Chemoradiation and their Family Caregivers.
Concurrent chemoradiation to treat head and neck cancer (HNC) may result in debilitating toxicities. Targeted exercise such as yoga therapy may buffer against treatment-related sequelae; thus, this pilot RCT examined the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a yoga intervention. Because family caregivers report low caregiving efficacy and elevated levels of distress, we included them in this trial as active study participants. ⋯ Yoga therapy appears to be a feasible, acceptable, and possibly efficacious behavioral supportive care strategy for HNC patients undergoing chemoradiation. A larger efficacy trial is warranted.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Pragmatic Clinical TrialPandemic Effects on Stability of End-of-Life Preferences and Patient-Surrogate Dyad Congruence.
Whether a largescale disaster alters people's previous decisions about their end-of-life care is unknown. ⋯ The pandemic alone did not appear to influence patients' goals-of-care preferences or dyad congruence. This finding supports the stability of value-based end-of-life preferences in general, even during a disaster.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
US Medicare Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Workforce and Service Delivery in 2008-2020.
Despite clinical benefits of early palliative care, little is known about Medicare physician workforce specialized in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) and their service delivery settings. ⋯ Despite growth in Medicare HPM physician workforce, access is disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan and inpatient settings. This may limit receipt of early outpatient specialized palliative care, especially in nonmetropolitan areas.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Telehealth Preferences among Patients with Advanced Cancer in the Post COVID-19 Vaccine Era.
Few studies have examined patient preferences for telehealth in palliative care after the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. We examined patient preferences for video versus in-person visits and factors contributing to preferences in the postvaccine era. ⋯ Patients expressed strong preference for video over in-person visits in the outpatient palliative care setting.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Quality of Outpatient Pediatric Palliative Care Telehealth: A Retrospective Chart Review.
Studies suggest the feasibility and acceptability of telehealth in outpatient pediatric palliative care. However, there is a need for data that describes the implementation and quality of telehealth, relying on objective and validated measures. ⋯ Despite differences in patients seen and palliative interventions provided in person compared to telehealth, health outcomes, and quality indicators were similar across care delivery methods. These data support the continued practice of telehealth in palliative care and highlight the need for equity in its evolution.