Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
Hope and illness expectations: A cross-sectional study in patients with advanced cancer.
The fear of taking away hope hinders clinicians' willingness to share serious news with patients with advanced disease. Unrealistic illness expectations, on the other hand, can complicate decision making and end-of-life care outcomes. Exploration of the association between hope and illness expectations can support clinicians in better communication with their patients. ⋯ Our results suggest that hope can be sustained while holding both realistic and unrealistic illness expectations. Communication about serious news should focus on clarifying the expectations as well as supporting people's hopes.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
Reduction in potentially inappropriate end-of-life hospital care for cancer patients during the COVID-19 pandemic: A retrospective population-based study.
The COVID-19 pandemic impacted cancer diagnosis and treatment. However, little is known about end-of-life cancer care during the pandemic. ⋯ Cancer patients received less potentially inappropriate end-of-life care during the COVID-19 pandemic. Because several factors may have contributed, it is unclear whether this reflects better quality care. However, these findings raise important questions about what pandemic-induced changes in care practices can help provide appropriate end-of-life care for future patients in the context of increasing patient numbers and limited resources.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
Assessing the suitability of the Carer Support Needs Assessment Tool (CSNAT-Paediatric) for use with parents of children with a life-limiting condition: A qualitative secondary analysis.
The demands of caring for a child with a life-limiting condition can have a profound impact on parents' health and wellbeing. Currently, there is no standard procedure for identifying and addressing the support needs of these parents. ⋯ The CSNAT (Paediatric) is a relevant tool for the assessment of parental support needs. Further research should assess the acceptability and feasibility of implementation of the broader intervention: CSNAT-I (Paediatric).