Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2023
The connections of physical and psychosocial symptoms among patients with terminal illnesses: A network analysis.
Patients with terminal illnesses have different symptoms. The goal of palliative care is to alleviate the suffering induced by these symptoms. Available research on symptoms has focused on their prevalence or identification of clusters. Little is known about the central symptoms contributing to the maintenance of the whole system of symptoms or the mechanism of influence between symptoms, particularly between physical and psychosocial symptoms. ⋯ This study is the first of its kind to investigate the connections and mechanism of influence between symptoms among patients with terminal illnesses. It offers clear pathways for intervention with the most influential symptoms of weakness, anxiety, and depression.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2023
ReviewEnd-of-life communication strategies for healthcare professionals: A scoping review.
Timely and effective communication about end-of-life issues, including conversations about prognosis and goals of care, are extremely beneficial to terminally ill patients and their families. However, given the context, healthcare professionals may find it challenging to initiate and facilitate such conversations. Hence, it is critical to improving the available communication strategies to enhance end-of-life communication practices. ⋯ The themes of communication strategies found in this review provide a framework to integrally promote end-of-life communication. Our results will help inform healthcare professionals, thereby promoting the development of specialised training and education on end-of-life communication.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2023
ReviewSystematic review of conceptual and theoretical frameworks used in palliative care and end-of-life care research studies.
Frameworks are the conceptual underpinnings of the study. Both conceptual and theoretical frameworks are often used in palliative and end-of-life care studies to help with study design, guide, and conduct investigations. While an increasing number of investigators have included frameworks in their study, to date, there has not been a comprehensive review of frameworks that were utilized in palliative and end-of-life care research studies. ⋯ We examined palliative and end-of-life research studies to identify and characterize conceptual or theoretical frameworks proposed or utilized. Of 44 frameworks we reviewed, 21 studies (47.7%) were aligned with a Clinical Practice Guideline's single domain, while the rest two or more of eight guidelines in quality palliative care domains.