Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2014
Patients', family caregivers', and professionals' perspectives on quality of palliative care: a qualitative study.
The quality of palliative care is the foremost preoccupation of clinicians, decision-makers, and managers as well as patients and families. Major input from healthcare professionals is required to develop indicators for the quality of palliative care, but the involvement of patients and families is also recognized as essential, even though this is rarely achieved in practice. ⋯ Our study results can be used to refine or develop quality indicators that truly mirror the points of view of patients and their families and of healthcare professionals.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2014
A pilot study investigating the effect of a patient-held pain assessment tool in palliative care outpatients attending a rural Kenyan hospital.
Pain is a frequent and distressing symptom in palliative care patients worldwide. Careful assessment is the first vital step to relieve this suffering. Assessment tools form a useful adjunct to pain management, but whether they make a difference to the patient is not known. ⋯ This study has demonstrated that a simple pain assessment tool, when linked to some action, may help achieve better analgesia.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2014
The doctor's role in helping dying patients with cancer achieve peace: a qualitative study.
Being at peace is important for the quality of life of dying cancer patients, but its features, and the role of the doctor in facilitating peace, are unclear. ⋯ Spiritual well-being in cancer patients can be promoted by communication from doctors regarding prognosis, which allows them time to prepare for death, and recognition of their fears. However, acceptance of death does not always lead to the patient experiencing peace.