Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2021
Older adult perspectives on medical decision making and emergency general surgery: "It had to be done."
Optimal surgical care for older adults with life-threatening conditions, with high risk of poor perioperative outcomes and morality in the months after surgery, should incorporate an understanding of the patient's treatment goals and preferences. However, little research has explored the patient perspective of decision making and advanced care planning during an emergency surgery episode. ⋯ Older patients who survived a life-threatening illness and EGS report receiving goal-concordant care in the moment that relieved symptoms and prolonged life but had not considered future care. Interventions to facilitate postoperative ACP should be targeted to this vulnerable group of older adults.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2021
Association between loneliness and the frequency of using online peer support groups among cancer patients with minor children: a cross-sectional web-based study.
Cancer patients with minor children are increasing; however, they do not receive sufficient support. ⋯ Frequent use of online peer support groups was associated with less loneliness among cancer patients with minor children.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2021
Workforce Planning for Community-based Palliative Care Specialist Teams using Operations Research.
Many countries have aging populations. Thus, the need for palliative care will increase. However, the methods to estimate optimal staffing for specialist palliative care teams are rudimentary as yet. ⋯ Historical, current, and projected data can be used with operations research to forecast staffing levels for specialist palliative care teams under various scenarios. The forecast can be updated as new data emerge, applied to other populations, and used to test alternative delivery models.