Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2020
Poor physical and mental health predicts prolonged grief disorder: A prospective, population-based cohort study on caregivers of patients at the end of life.
The health of caregivers can be affected during end-of-life caregiving. Previous cross-sectional studies have indicated an association between poor health status and prolonged grief disorder, but prospective studies are lacking. ⋯ Caregivers scored lower on one physical subscale and all mental health measures than the general population. Prolonged grief disorder was predicted by poor physical and mental health status before bereavement. Future research is needed on the use of health status in systematic assessment to identify caregivers in need of support.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2020
ReviewDoes the carer support needs assessment tool cover the established support needs of carers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease? A systematic literature search and narrative review.
Informal carers play a key supportive role for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. However, caring can have a considerable impact on health and wellbeing. Carers may have unidentified support needs that could be a target for intervention. Literature on the support needs of informal carers has not been fully synthesised, and our knowledge of the comprehensiveness of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool for these individuals is limited. ⋯ Evidence suggests that carers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease would benefit from identification and response to their support needs by healthcare professionals but to enable this, the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool requires an additional question. Future planned work will explore this with carers of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2020
Meta AnalysisA systematic review and meta-analysis of studies comparing burden from lung cancer and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer are both life-limiting diseases that confer burden in the form of symptoms and affect functioning and quality of life. Comparing burden between these diseases is of interest to determine whether people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease require improved access to Specialist Palliative Care. Access should be based on needs rather than diagnosis or prognosis but is limited for people with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease compared to lung cancer. ⋯ Efforts should be made to ensure that access to Specialist Palliative Care is commensurate with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease's substantial and long-lasting burden. Future research should clarify whether managing burden in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and lung cancer requires different approaches.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2020
A cross-sectional gender-sensitive analysis of depressive symptoms in patients with advanced cancer.
Patients with advanced cancer commonly report depressive symptoms. Examinations of gender differences in depressive symptoms in patients with advanced cancer have yielded inconsistent findings. ⋯ Males and females report similar levels of depressive symptoms but the pathways to depression may differ by gender. These differences suggest the potential for gender-based preventive and therapeutic interventions in this population.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2020
Complementary therapy in palliative care: A synthesis of qualitative and quantitative systematic reviews.
Interventions delivered in palliative care are complex and their evaluation through qualitative and quantitative research can lead to contrasting results. In a systematic review of trials, the effectiveness results of complementary therapies in palliative care were inconclusive; however, our qualitative synthesis showed participants perceived them to be beneficial. ⋯ By integrating qualitative and quantitative review data, we determined the reasons trials may be inconclusive. This methodological exemplar provides a framework for understanding complexity in outcomes across trials and a direction for future research.