Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · May 2020
Feasibility and acceptability of a culturally adapted advance care planning intervention for people living with advanced cancer and their families: A mixed methods study.
Increasing evidence shows that advance care planning is effective in improving outcomes. However, its applicability and acceptability outside Western cultures remain unknown. Examination of relevant cultural adaptations is required prior to wider adoption. ⋯ Implementing a culturally adapted advance care planning intervention in an inpatient hospital setting in Taiwan is possible. The participants reported the intervention to be acceptable. However, careful attention to the conceptual underpinning using local primary data is imperative for its success.
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Palliative medicine · May 2020
Case series of introducing palliative care consultation in psychiatry.
The significance of palliative care consultation in psychiatry is unclear. ⋯ Future research should focus on reasons for reservations about palliative care in psychiatry, include more patients with severe persistent mental illness and assess the value of palliative care consultation in resolving this problem.
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Palliative medicine · May 2020
Palliative care and infection management at end of life in nursing homes: A descriptive survey.
Infections are common occurrences at end of life that are associated with high rates of morbidity and mortality among frail elderly individuals. The problem of infections in nursing homes has led to a subsequent overuse and misuse of antibiotics in this already-frail population. Improving palliative care in nursing homes has been proposed as a key strategy to reduce the use of antibiotics. ⋯ The study found wide variations in nursing home palliative care practices, particularly for timing of end-of-life care discussions, and suboptimal care reported for antibiotic usage. Further education for nursing home staff on appropriate antibiotic usage and best practices to integrate infection management in palliative care at the end of life is needed.
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Palliative medicine · May 2020
Health-related quality of life in patients with advanced cancer who express a wish to hasten death: A comparative study.
Some evidence suggests the wish to hasten death is related to poor health-related quality of life. Deficits in perceived dignity and self-efficacy are risk factors for wish to hasten death that also impact health-related quality of life. ⋯ Patients with wish to hasten death showed lower perceived dignity, self-efficacy and emotional quality of life than patients without wish to hasten death without necessarily perceiving worse physical symptoms.