Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Changes over a decade in end-of-life care and transfers during the last 3 months of life: a repeated survey among proxies of deceased older people.
In the ageing population, older people are living longer with chronic diseases. Especially in the last year of life, this can result in an increased need for (complex) end-of-life care. ⋯ Two scenarios of care in the last 3 months of life seem to arise: staying at home as long as possible with a higher chance of hospital death or living in a residential or nursing home, reducing the chance of hospital death.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Individual experiences and impacts of a physiotherapist-led, non-pharmacological breathlessness programme for patients with intrathoracic malignancy: a qualitative study.
Non-pharmacological breathlessness management programmes have been shown to be beneficial in the management of lung cancer-related dyspnoea for more than 10 years. What is not so clear is how they work. ⋯ The non-pharmacological breathlessness management programme appears to offer a wide range of benefits to patients, including improving functional capacity, coping strategies and self-control. Such benefits are most likely to be due to a combination of breathing control, activity management and the therapist qualities.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Similarities and differences between continuous sedation until death and euthanasia - professional caregivers' attitudes and experiences: a focus group study.
According to various guidelines about continuous sedation until death, this practice can and should be clearly distinguished from euthanasia, which is legalized in Belgium. ⋯ The differences and similarities between continuous sedation until death and euthanasia is an issue for several Flemish professional caregivers in their care for unbearably suffering patients at the end of life. Although guidelines strictly distinguish both practices, this may not always be the case in Flemish clinical practice.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2013
Advance care planning education in pulmonary rehabilitation: A qualitative study exploring participant perspectives.
Advance care planning is considered to have an important role in the management of people with chronic lung disease; however, uptake in clinical practice remains limited. Participant acceptance of the inclusion of an advance care planning information session in pulmonary rehabilitation and maintenance programmes could support a practical solution. ⋯ Participants in our pulmonary rehabilitation and maintenance programmes value the opportunity to participate in a structured, group-based advance care planning session. Consideration should be given to broader inclusion of advance care planning education into existing pulmonary rehabilitation and maintenance programmes for people with chronic respiratory disease.