Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
Death anxiety in patients with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer with and without brain metastases.
Death anxiety is common in patients with metastatic cancer, but its relationship to brain metastases and cognitive decline is unknown. Early identification of death anxiety and its determinants allows proactive interventions to be offered to those in need. ⋯ Death anxiety and brain metastases are common in patients with mNSCLC but not necessarily linked. The association of death anxiety with both demoralization and illness intrusiveness highlights the importance of integrated psychological and symptom management. Further research is needed on the psychological impact of brain metastases.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2020
Comparing symptom ratings by staff and family carers in residents dying in long-term care facilities in three European countries, results from a PACE-survey.
Symptom management is essential in the end-of-life care of long-term care facility residents. ⋯ There is a need for improved communication between staff and family and discussion about symptom burden in the dying phase in long-term care facilities.
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Family support is more, not less, important during crisis. However, during the COVID-19 pandemic, maintaining public safety necessitates restricting the physical presence of families for hospitalized patients. In response, health systems must rapidly adapt family-centric procedures and tools to circumvent restrictions on physical presence. ⋯ But the reliance on technology may compromise patient privacy and exacerbate racial, socioeconomic, and geographic disparities for populations that lack access to reliable internet access, devices, or technological literacy. We provide a toolbox of strategies for supporting family-centered inpatient care during physical distancing responsive to the current clinical climate. Innovations in the implementation of family involvement during hospitalizations may lead to long-term progress in the delivery of family-centered care.