Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
ReviewDelirium prevalence, incidence, and implications for screening in specialist palliative care inpatient settings: a systematic review.
Delirium is a serious neuropsychiatric syndrome frequently experienced by palliative care inpatients. This syndrome is under-recognized by clinicians. While screening increases recognition, it is not a routine practice. ⋯ The prevalence and incidence of delirium in palliative care inpatient settings supports the need for screening. However, there is limited consensus on assessment measures or knowledge of implications of delirium screening for inpatients and families. Further research is required to develop standardized methods of delirium screening, assessment, and management that are acceptable to inpatients and families.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Episodes of breathlessness: types and patterns - a qualitative study exploring experiences of patients with advanced diseases.
Despite the high prevalence and impact of episodic breathlessness, information about characteristics and patterns is scarce. ⋯ Patients with advanced disease experience clearly distinguishable types and patterns of episodic breathlessness. The understanding of these will help clinicians to tailor specific management strategies for patients who suffer from episodes of breathlessness.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Changes over a decade in end-of-life care and transfers during the last 3 months of life: a repeated survey among proxies of deceased older people.
In the ageing population, older people are living longer with chronic diseases. Especially in the last year of life, this can result in an increased need for (complex) end-of-life care. ⋯ Two scenarios of care in the last 3 months of life seem to arise: staying at home as long as possible with a higher chance of hospital death or living in a residential or nursing home, reducing the chance of hospital death.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Individual experiences and impacts of a physiotherapist-led, non-pharmacological breathlessness programme for patients with intrathoracic malignancy: a qualitative study.
Non-pharmacological breathlessness management programmes have been shown to be beneficial in the management of lung cancer-related dyspnoea for more than 10 years. What is not so clear is how they work. ⋯ The non-pharmacological breathlessness management programme appears to offer a wide range of benefits to patients, including improving functional capacity, coping strategies and self-control. Such benefits are most likely to be due to a combination of breathing control, activity management and the therapist qualities.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Similarities and differences between continuous sedation until death and euthanasia - professional caregivers' attitudes and experiences: a focus group study.
According to various guidelines about continuous sedation until death, this practice can and should be clearly distinguished from euthanasia, which is legalized in Belgium. ⋯ The differences and similarities between continuous sedation until death and euthanasia is an issue for several Flemish professional caregivers in their care for unbearably suffering patients at the end of life. Although guidelines strictly distinguish both practices, this may not always be the case in Flemish clinical practice.