Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2021
Sleeping-related distress in a palliative care population: A national, prospective, consecutive cohort.
Sleep, a multi-dimensional experience, is essential for optimal physical and mental wellbeing. Poor sleep is associated with worse wellbeing but data are scarce from multi-site studies on sleeping-related distress in palliative care populations. ⋯ This large, representative study of palliative care patients shows high prevalence of sleeping-related distress, with strong associations shown to distress from other symptoms including pain, breathlessness and fatigue.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2021
Size and composition of family networks of decedents: A nationwide register-based study.
Seriously ill individuals rely heavily on family caregivers at the end of life. Yet many do not have family support. ⋯ While the majority of adults had an extensive family network at the time of death, a substantial proportion of decedents had no family, suggesting the need for non-family based long-term service and support systems. Assessment of family networks can expand our understanding of the end-of-life caregiving process and inform palliative care delivery.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2021
Observational StudyEstimating the current and future prevalence of life-limiting conditions in children in England.
Previous studies showed increasing number of children with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition who may benefit from input from pediatric palliative care services. ⋯ The prevalence of children with a life-limiting or life-threatening condition in England has risen over the last 17 years and is predicted to increase. Future data collections must include the data required to assess the complex health and social care needs of these children.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2021
Association between high cost user status and end-of-life care in hospitalized patients: A national cohort study of patients who die in hospital.
Studies comparing end-of-life care between patients who are high cost users of the healthcare system compared to those who are not are lacking. ⋯ Many patients receive aggressive elements of end-of-life care during the hospitalization in which they die and a substantial number do not receive palliative care. Understanding how this care differs between those who were previously high- and non-high cost users may provide an opportunity to improve end of life care for whom better care planning and provision ought to be an equal priority.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2021
Improved quality of care and reduced healthcare costs at the end-of-life among older people with dementia who received palliative home care: A nationwide propensity score-matched decedent cohort study.
While palliative home care is advocated for people with dementia, evidence of its effectiveness is lacking. ⋯ Palliative home care use by home-dwelling older people with dementia is associated with improved quality and reduced costs of end-of-life care. Access remains low and should be increased.