Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2021
Clinical TrialDexmedetomidine for hyperactive delirium at the end of life: An open-label single arm pilot study with dose escalation in adult patients admitted to an inpatient palliative care unit.
Terminal delirium, specifically the hyperactive delirium subtype at the end of life, is common in palliative care patients. Standard care often involves sedation to alleviate distress. The alpha2-adrenoreceptor agonist dexmedetomidine may have promise in terminal delirium, due to its properties of decreasing delirium and permitting rousable sedation. ⋯ Dexmedetomidine shows potential for the management of terminal delirium with improved interactivity. Further research is needed to determine efficacy compared to current standard care.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2021
A systematic review of quality improvement initiatives for continuous sedation until death.
Extensive debate surrounds the practice of continuous sedation until death within end-of-life care. ⋯ The reviewed initiatives may contribute to improvement of continuous sedation until death, though their evidence base is rather limited. More insight is needed into their feasibility, preconditions for effective implementation and impact in actual practice.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2021
Specialist palliative care staff's varying experiences of talking with people with intellectual disability about their dying and death: A thematic analysis of in-depth interviews.
The cognitive and communication challenges experienced by people with intellectual disability present difficulties for health professionals, particularly in the face of illness and dying. ⋯ Specialist palliative care staff experience difficulties in talking with people with intellectual disability about their dying. Development of communication guidelines, resources and training for palliative care teams are urgently required to improve palliative care for this patient group. A more comprehensive research agenda on the needs of people with intellectual disability and their caregivers in palliative care is needed, with a particular focus on strategies to effectively communicate about dying and death.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2021
Caring ahead: Mixed methods development of a questionnaire to measure caregiver preparedness for end-of-life with dementia.
Family caregivers of persons with dementia often feel unprepared for end-of-life and preparedness predicts caregiver outcomes in bereavement. Existing questionnaires assessing preparedness have limitations. A multi-dimensional questionnaire assessing family caregiver preparedness for the end-of-life of persons with dementia is needed to identify caregivers at risk for negative outcomes in bereavement and evaluate the quality of strategies within a palliative approach. ⋯ Family caregivers' feelings of preparedness for end-of-life need to be assessed and the quality of strategies within a palliative approach evaluated. Future psychometric testing of the Caring Ahead questionnaire will evaluate evidence for validity and reliability.
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Palliative medicine · Apr 2021
Meta AnalysisThe effectiveness of hope-fostering interventions in palliative care: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
The concept of hope is an important theme in chronic illness and palliative care and has been associated with increased psycho-spiritual well-being and quality of life. Psycho-spiritual interventions have been described in this population, but no systematic review of hope-enhancing interventions or hopelessness-reducing interventions has been conducted for persons with palliative care diseases. ⋯ Evidence suggests that interventions can be effective in increasing hope in palliative care patients.