Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
ReviewParents' experiences of being involved in medical decision-making for their child with a life-limiting condition: A systematic review with narrative synthesis.
Parental involvement in the decision-making processes about medical treatment for children with life-limiting conditions is recognised as good practice. Previous research highlighted factors affecting the decision-making process, but little is known about how parents experience their participation. ⋯ Parental experiences with decision-making are complex and multifactorial. Parents' ability to effectively participate in the process is limited, as they are not empowered to do so and the circumstances in which the decisions are taking place are challenging. Healthcare professionals need to support parental involvement in an effective way instead of just formally asking them to participate.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
ReviewA systematic practice review: Providing palliative care for people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers.
People with Parkinson's disease has significant and increasing physical, psychosocial and spiritual needs, as well as problems with coordination and continuity of care. Despite the benefits that palliative care could offer, there is no consensus on how it should be delivered. ⋯ Consideration of palliative care integration based on symptom burden and personal preferences, coordination and continuity of care are needed to maintain the quality of life of people with Parkinson's disease and their caregivers.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2024
ReviewApplied patient-level palliative care interventions designed to meet the needs of sexual and gender minorities: A scoping review and qualitative content analysis of how to support sexual and gender minorities at end of life.
Sexual and gender minorities experience considerable health disparities across the life span. End of life presents unique challenges for this population, further exacerbating existing disparities. ⋯ This review responds to a need to improve palliative care delivery for sexual and gender minorities. Recommendations derived from these interventions, including how to center and advocate for sexual and gender minorities at end of life, can be applied by any interdisciplinary palliative care provider.
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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.