Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2014
Detection of delirium in palliative care unit patients: a prospective descriptive study of the Delirium Observation Screening Scale administered by bedside nurses.
The Delirium Observation Screening Scale (DOS) is designed to detect delirium by nurses' observations and has shown good psychometric properties. Its use in palliative care unit patients has not been studied. ⋯ The Delirium Observation Screening Scale can be used for delirium screening in verbally active palliative care unit patients. The scale was rated as easy to use and relevant. Further validation studies in this population are required.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2014
ReviewShould palliative care patients' hope be truthful, helpful or valuable? An interpretative synthesis of literature describing healthcare professionals' perspectives on hope of palliative care patients.
Healthcare professionals' perspectives on palliative care patients' hope influence communication. However, these perspectives have hardly been examined. ⋯ Healthcare professionals who are able to work with three perspectives on hope may improve their communication with their palliative care patients, which leads to a better quality of care.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2014
Randomized Controlled TrialThe Liverpool Care Pathway for cancer patients dying in hospital medical wards: a before-after cluster phase II trial of outcomes reported by family members.
Hospital is the most common place of cancer death but concerns regarding the quality of end-of-life care remain. ⋯ These results provide the first robust data collected from family members of a preliminary clinically significant improvement, in some aspects, of quality of care after the implementation of the Italian version of Liverpool Care Pathway programme. The poor effect for symptom control suggests areas for further innovation and development.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2014
Comparative StudyHow many people need palliative care? A study developing and comparing methods for population-based estimates.
Understanding the need for palliative care is essential in planning services. ⋯ Death registration data using both underlying and contributory causes can give reliable estimates of the population-based need for palliative care, without needing symptom or hospital activity data. In high-income countries, 69%-82% of those who die need palliative care.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2014
Comparative StudyWhat do patients with advanced incurable cancer want from the management of their pain? A qualitative study.
Pain is one of the most frequent symptoms among patients with metastatic cancer, yet little is known about what patients with advanced cancer want from the management of their pain. Measuring the effectiveness of the management of pain is challenging as it is a subjective phenomenon and a multifaceted process. Determining how we currently define whether a patient with pain due to advanced cancer has controlled pain (or not) is important, particularly from the patient's perspective. ⋯ Patients determined whether their pain was 'controlled' by whether or not they were able to perform activities or tasks and maintain relationships with family or friends, which determined themselves as individuals. Numerical rating scales did not appear to be useful for patients in measuring whether they are able to perform these activities or maintain a sense of control and independence. Individualised goal/task/role/activity setting for patients with advanced cancer pain may be useful to allow patients themselves to determine what they want from the 'management' of their pain.