Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Utilization of Palliative Radiation in Pediatric Oncology Patients During the End-of-life (EOL).
Suffering at the end-of-life (EOL) can impact the perception of a "good death" and ultimately affect bereavement for families of children with cancer. Palliative radiation (pXRT) is a tool that can address pain, mitigate suffering and improve quality of life. ⋯ There is underutilization and significant variability in the use of pXRT during EOL in pediatric oncology. Barriers to this tool may include physician perceptions, family/patient preferences, and logistical hardships. Guidelines to standardize pXRT, alongside earlier PPC integration, may guide clinician decision making and increase pXRT utilization.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Financial Hardship: A Qualitative Study Exploring Perspectives of Seriously Ill Patients and their Family.
Seriously ill patients, such as those who experience critical illness, and their families experience a variety of poor outcomes, including financial hardship. However, little is known about the ways in which these seriously ill patients and their families experience financial hardship. ⋯ Our findings suggest that the acute and time sensitive nature of treatment decisions in critical care settings provides a unique context for experiences of financial hardship. Additional research is needed to better understand these experiences and design context-sensitive interventions to mitigate financial hardship and associated poor patient- and family-centered outcomes.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
ReviewEffectiveness of music therapy, aromatherapy, and massage therapy on people in palliative care with end-of-life needs: A systematic review.
Music therapy, aromatherapy and massage therapy are widely used in palliative care in patients near end-of-life with the aim to reduce symptom burden and improve quality of life (QoL). Recent research shows an increase in popularity and use of complementary and integrative medicine however a more thorough evidence base about their usefulness is required. ⋯ Main results found that music and massage therapy had the most potential benefits on a range of outcome parameters, including pain and QoL. Future studies may consider using more qualitative and/or mixed methods to provide a more comprehensive evaluation of treatment.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Parent-Clinician Communication and Prolonged Grief in Parents Whose Child Died from Cancer.
Parent-clinician communication is essential for high-quality end-of-life (EOL) care in children with cancer. However, it is unknown how parent-clinician communication affects parents' experience in the first two years after their child's death. ⋯ Early bereaved parents report severe prolonged grief symptoms. Interventions focused on providing adequate prognostic information and improving preparation for EOL may mitigate parental prolonged grief symptoms in the first two years of their bereavement.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2024
Serious health-related suffering impairs treatments and survival in older patients with cancer.
More than half of new cancer cases occurred in older adults. Older patients with cancer are particularly at risk of physical, psycho-existential or socio-familial suffering as defined by the concept of Serious Health-related Suffering (SHS). ⋯ Physical suffering has direct pejorative effect on survival. All dimensions indirectly decrease survival due to poorer cancer treatability. Our findings support concomitant management of physical and psycho-existential suffering.