Journal of pain and symptom management
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One fundamental way to honor patient autonomy is to establish and enact their wishes for end-of-life care. Limited research exists regarding adherence with code status. ⋯ At the time of death, 1.6% of patients received or did not undergo CPR in a manner discordant with their documented code statuses. Race and institutional factors were associated with discordant resuscitation, and addressing these disparities may promote concordant end-of-life care in all patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2021
Potentially inappropriate treatments at the end of life in nursing home residents: Findings from the PACE cross-sectional study in 6 European countries.
Certain treatments are potentially inappropriate when administered to nursing homes residents at the end of life and should be carefully considered. An international comparison of potentially inappropriate treatments allows insight into common issues and country-specific challenges of end-of-life care in nursing homes and helps direct health-care policy in this area. ⋯ Although the prevalence of potentially inappropriate treatments in the last week of life was generally low, antibiotics were frequently prescribed in all countries. In Poland and Italy, the prevalence of artificial administration of food/fluids in the last week of life was high, possibly reflecting country differences in legislation, care organization and culture, and the palliative care competences of staff.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2021
Concerns of Parents with Children Receiving Home-Based Pediatric Palliative Care.
Caring for a child who will die from a life-limiting illness is one of the most difficult experiences a parent may face. Pediatric palliative care (PPC) has grown as a specialty service to address the unique needs of children and families with serious illness. However, gaps remain between the needs of families in PPC and the support received. ⋯ Parents of children receiving home-based PPC expressed concerns across a range of domains, both about their seriously ill child and the broader family. These results highlight salient worries among parents of children in PPC and point to critical areas for intervention for seriously ill children and the broader family.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2021
Confirmed Medication Diversion in Hospice Care:Qualitative Findings from a National Sample of Agencies.
The nonmedical use of prescribed medications is a major public health concern in the U.S. Medications prescribed to hospice patients for pain management may be at risk of being diverted to be sold or used illicitly. ⋯ Good clinical practice and vigilance may help agencies detect medication diversion. Moreover, diversion prevention techniques should not harmfully impact quality of patient care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Apr 2021
The Psychometric Properties of Taiwanese Version of the Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer.
The Memorial Anxiety Scale for Prostate Cancer (MAX-PC) has been used in different countries to assess the specific anxiety of patients with prostate cancer. ⋯ The MAX-PC-T demonstrates appropriate reliability and validity. It can be used with patients with prostate cancer to assess their specific anxiety.