Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Death anxiety in patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers.
Death anxiety is associated with fears of suffering and uncertainty at the end of life. It is also relevant to patients' family caregivers, who can experience fears about the patients' death and dying. ⋯ The results indicate that death anxiety is a common, clinically significant problem in patients with advanced cancer and their family caregivers, emphasizing the need for targeted psychological support.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Predictors 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. ⋯ NCT03325985.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
ReviewPalliative Care in Hematology: A Systematic Review of the Components, Effectiveness, and Implementation.
While the evidence supporting the benefits of integration of palliative care into cancer care for patients and informal caregivers is growing, it poses challenges for hematological cancer patients due to rapidly changing disease trajectories, uncertain prognosis, and diverse care needs. ⋯ While palliative care interventions are found to improve patient outcomes, future research is needed on the effectiveness of secondary palliative care interventions, integrating primary palliative care, and more reliable and frequent implementation measurements. More focus on informal caregivers and resource allocation based on patient needs is warranted.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
ReviewEfficacy and Safety of Pregabalin and Gabapentin for Pruritus: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Limited data existed on the efficacy and safety of novel antiepileptic drugs (pregabalin and gabapentin) in treating pruritus. ⋯ The novel antiepileptic drugs pregabalin and gabapentin demonstrated significant therapeutic value in the treatment of pruritus, with a favorable safety profile. Compared to commonly used pruritus treatments such as antihistamines and antidepressants, these medications offered a promising alternative.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Concurrent Care and use of Advanced Cardiac Therapies for Hospitalized Veterans with Heart Failure.
Concurrent care allows patients to receive hospice while continuing disease-directed therapies. This treatment model is available in the Veterans Administration (VA) medical system, but its use in Veterans with heart failure (HF) is unexplored. ⋯ Veterans with HF receiving concurrent care were few and experienced higher mortality. Rate of burdensome transitions was similar between Veterans receiving concurrent care and those not on hospice. Further research may explore why Veterans infrequently utilize concurrent care at the end of life.