Palliative medicine
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
Randomized Controlled TrialEffects of advance care planning in care dependent community-dwelling older persons (STADPLAN): A cluster-randomised controlled trial.
Most randomised controlled trials on advance care planning were conducted in people with advanced, life-limiting illnesses or in institutional settings. There are few studies on its effect in older people living in the community. ⋯ The intervention showed no relevant effects on patient activation or quality of life in community dwelling older persons, possibly indicating the need for more tailored interventions. However, results are limited by a lack of statistical power.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
"They were here, and they still matter": A qualitative study of bereaved parents legacy experiences and perceptions.
Legacy building interventions are used in pediatric healthcare settings to help families cope with difficult healthcare experiences and typically reserved for intentional use at or near the end of a child's life. However, little is known about how bereaved families perceive the concept of legacy that these practices are meant to address. Emerging research challenges the view of legacy as a standardized, handheld keepsake item but rather as a summation of qualities and experiences that affect those left behind. Therefore, more research is needed. ⋯ Bereaved parents/caregivers define and experience their child's legacy in ways and manifestations that conflict with current legacy building interventions used in pediatric healthcare settings. Thus, an immediate shift from standardized legacy-oriented care to individualized assessment and intervention is needed to provide high-quality patient- and family-centered pediatric palliative care.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
Review Meta AnalysisPerformance of the Palliative Prognostic Index for cancer patients: A systematic review and meta-analysis.
Clinician predicted survival for cancer patients is often inaccurate, and prognostic tools may be helpful, such as the Palliative Prognostic Index (PPI). The PPI development study reported that when PPI score is greater than 6, it predicted survival of less than 3 weeks with a sensitivity of 83% and specificity of 85%. When PPI score is greater than 4, it predicts survival of less than 6 weeks with a sensitivity of 79% and specificity of 77%. However, subsequent PPI validation studies have evaluated various thresholds and survival durations, and it is unclear which is most appropriate for use in clinical practice. With the development of numerous prognostic tools, it is also unclear which is most accurate and feasible for use in multiple care settings. ⋯ PPI score>6 should be used for <3-week survival prediction, and PPI score>4 for <6-week survival. PPI is easily scored and does not require invasive tests, and thus would be easily implemented in multiple care settings. Given the acceptable accuracy of PPI in predicting <3- and <6-week survival and its objective nature, it could be used to cross-check clinician predicted survival especially when clinicians have doubts about their own judgement, or when clinician estimates seem to be less reliable. Future studies should adhere to the reporting guidelines and provide comprehensive analyses of PPI model performance.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
ReviewA rapid umbrella review of the literature surrounding the provision of patient-centred end-of-life care.
Patients have reported a broad range of unmet needs in their receipt of clinical care at the end of life. Therefore, enhancing the quality of end-of-life care through patient-centred healthcare interactions is warranted. ⋯ This review highlighted a need for healthcare systems to support staff in providing a patient-centred end of life experience through the development of a co-designed patient-centred model of care, supplemented by professional development and a systematic approach to identifying and documenting patient preferences.