Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2022
Meta AnalysisEfficacy of medicinal cannabis for appetite-related symptoms in people with cancer: A systematic review.
Anorexia (loss of appetite) is a prevalent and distressing symptom in people with cancer, with limited effective interventions. Medicinal cannabis has shown promise in improving appetite-related symptoms in people with cancer. ⋯ Evidence from RCTs that medicinal cannabis increases appetite in people with cancer is limited. Measures, outcomes and interventions were variable, and toxicities have not been comprehensively evaluated. Future research should carefully consider biological mechanisms to guide more nuanced selection of endpoints and interventions, including product, dose and administration.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2022
Moral distress amongst palliative care doctors working during the COVID-19 pandemic: A narrative-focussed interview study.
Palliative care professionals have had to adapt to rapidly changing COVID-19 restrictions with personal protective equipment and physical distancing measures impacting face-to-face communication with patients and relatives. ⋯ Restrictions had a considerable impact on palliative care doctors' ability to communicate with and comfort patients which led to moral distress and contributed to decreasing morale. Future research could explore moral distress in palliative care settings internationally during the pandemic with a view to compare the factors affecting how moral distress was experienced.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2022
Identifying barriers and facilitators to palliative care integration in the management of hospitalized patients with COVID-19: A qualitative study.
Palliative care is well suited to support patients hospitalized with COVID-19, but integration into care has been variable and generally poor. ⋯ The study findings highlight the need for leadership support for formal integrated models of palliative care for patients with COVID-19, a palliative care role in pandemic planning, and educational initiatives with primary palliative care providers.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2022
Health and social care services for people with dementia at home at the end of life: A qualitative study of bereaved informal caregivers' experiences.
More people are dying at home with dementia and Alzheimer's disease. While informal caregivers are the main providers of care for people with dementia dying at home, they require support from health and social care services. However, little is known about how they experience these services. ⋯ End-of-life care at home for people with dementia must be proactively planned with an emphasis on advance care planning. Policy makers should recognise the critical role of domiciliary care services in end-of-life care and ensure that they are adequately qualified and trained.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2022
Employment and family caregiving in palliative care: An international qualitative study.
Family caregivers provide the majority of palliative care. The impact of family caregiving on employment and finances has received little research attention in the field of palliative care. ⋯ Supporting carers to retain employment whilst providing care has potential benefits for the patient at end of life, the caregiver, and the wider economy and labour market. Employers, policymakers and governments have a role to play in developing and implementing policies to support working carers to remain in employment.