Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2020
ReviewThe relationship of palliative care with assisted dying where assisted dying is lawful: A systematic scoping review of the literature.
A central approach of palliative care has been to provide holistic care for people who are dying, terminally ill, or facing life-limiting illnesses while neither hastening nor postponing death. Assisted dying laws allow eligible individuals to receive medically administered or self-administered medication from a health provider to end their life. The implementation of these laws in a growing number of jurisdictions therefore poses certain challenges for palliative care. ⋯ The studies in this review cast only partial light on challenges faced by palliative care when assisted dying is legal. There is pressing need for more research on the involvement of palliative care in the developing practices of assisted dying, across a growing number of jurisdictions.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2020
ReviewIdiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis: A review of disease, pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies with a focus on symptoms, function, and health-related quality of life.
Despite several advances in treatment, idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) remains a progressive, symptomatic, and terminal disease in patients not suitable for lung transplantation. With disease progression, IPF often leads to a constellation of symptoms, including dyspnea, cough, anxiety, and depression. Palliative care is appropriate to support these patients. ⋯ This review focuses on IPF management strategies and their effects on symptoms, exercise tolerance, HRQL, and survival. Pharmacological interactions and considerations related to commonly used palliative care medications are also reviewed. This review highlights the needs of patients with IPF and caregivers, psychosocial function, patient-reported assessment tools, and topics related to advance care planning.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialOnline Couple-Based Meditation Intervention for Patients with Primary or Metastatic Brain Tumors and their Partners: Results of a Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial.
Although patients with primary and metastatic brain tumors and their partners are at risk of experiencing high symptom burden, they are often excluded from psychosocial intervention studies. Thus, we sought to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a couple-based meditation (CBM) program targeting symptom and well-being outcomes. ⋯ It seems to be feasible, acceptable, and possibly efficacious to deliver a dyadic intervention via FaceTime to brain tumor couples. Although both patients and partners in the CBM group rated the intervention as beneficial, significant group differences with medium-to-large effect sizes were only found for patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2020
Randomized Controlled TrialPredictors of Intervention Session Completion in a Randomized Clinical Trial of a Behavioral Cancer Pain Intervention.
Some patients with cancer are able to complete psychosocial pain management intervention sessions, and others find it difficult to do so. ⋯ Completing PCST sessions is important for improving pain outcomes. Efforts to increase session completion (e.g., videoconference delivery) should be considered.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2020
An evaluation of By My Side: Peer support in written form is acceptable and useful for parents bereaved by childhood cancer.
Cancer is the leading cause of nonaccidental death in childhood, with the death of a child representing a devastating loss for families. Peer support offers a valuable way to support parents' adjustment in bereavement. The By My Side book provides written peer support by sharing bereaved parents' stories to normalize grief experiences and reduce parents' isolation. It is available free of charge. ⋯ By My Side was acceptable and useful to bereaved parents and HCPs. Results suggest that peer support in written form may help normalize aspects of grief and comfort parents bereaved by childhood cancer.