Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Review Meta AnalysisPatient and family preferences about place of end-of-life care and death: An umbrella review.
The place where people are cared towards the end of their life and die is a complex phenomenon, requiring a deeper understanding. Honoring preferences is critical for the delivery of high-quality care. ⋯ These findings are a crucial starting point to address gaps and enhance strategies to align care with patient and family preferences. To accurately identify patient and family preferences is an important opportunity to change their lives positively.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
ReviewGrief and Bereavement Support for Parents in Low- or Middle-Income Countries: a Systematic Review.
The death of a child may be the most traumatic event a family can experience. Bereavement care for parents is essential for their physical and mental well-being and is a psychosocial standard of care. Childhood mortality is higher in low- or middle-income countries (LMICs); however, little is known regarding bereavement support or interventions for parents in LMICs. ⋯ Although bereavement care is crucial for parents whose child has died, only a few studies have documented bereavement interventions in LMICs. More research may help with bereavement program implementation and improved care for bereaved parents in LMICs.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Measures of Patient and Surrogate Preparedness for End-of-Life Decision-Making.
Reliable and valid measures are critical in accurately assessing outcomes of advance care planning interventions (ACP) for end-of-life (EOL) decision-making. ⋯ The preparedness scales demonstrated strong psychometric properties. Future studies should examine scale performance in other populations.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Specialist Palliative Care Use and End-of-Life Care in Patients with Metastatic Cancer.
For patients with advanced cancer, high intensity treatment at the end of life is measured as a reflection of the quality of care. Use of specialist palliative care has been promoted to improve care quality, but whether its use is associated with decreased treatment intensity on a population-level is unknown. ⋯ On a population-level, use of specialist palliative care was associated with improved metrics for quality end-of-life care for patients dying with metastatic cancer, underscoring the importance of its integration into cancer care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2024
Increasing Knowledge about Implantable Cardioverter Defibrillators at the End of Life, an Effective Approach for Hospice Workers to Improve Patient Care.
Implantable cardioverter defibrillators (ICDs) decrease mortality in high-risk patients but can also cause distressing shocks near death. Patients who lack knowledge about their ICDs are more likely to have an active device at the end of life. Many hospice workers lack sufficient knowledge to educate patients about ICDs. ⋯ An ICD patient educational video designed for a diverse, underserved patient population effectively improved ICD knowledge to a uniform excellent level for a broad range of hospice workers.