Palliative medicine
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2012
ReviewAssessing constipation in palliative care within a gastroenterology framework.
Constipation is common and distressing in palliative care. Despite this, approaches to assessment and subsequent treatment are most remarkable for the numbers who fail adequate palliation. ⋯ Current approaches to assessing constipation in palliative care are very different to those recommended by gastroenterology guidelines. However, modified approaches may be tolerable to palliative care patients and offer the chance of developing targeted palliation.
-
Palliative medicine · Jul 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialFeasibility, acceptability and potential effectiveness of Dignity Therapy for older people in care homes: a phase II randomized controlled trial of a brief palliative care psychotherapy.
A pilot study of Dignity Therapy conducted with hospice patients reported high levels of self-reported benefits of the psychotherapy. ⋯ Although Dignity Therapy took longer to deliver than expected, this intervention may be a way of enhancing the end-of-life experiences of residents.
-
Palliative medicine · Jul 2012
Predictors of non-remission of depression in a palliative care population.
Prospective studies of depression in palliative care are rare. Two studies that examine depression prospectively in patients with advanced disease have not looked at predictors of remission. ⋯ This study in palliative care is the first of which we are aware to explore factors associated with non-remission of depression. Depressed patients identified with low social support on referral to palliative care services might particularly benefit from additional psychosocial care in the treatment of their depression. This study provides evidence that effective physical symptom management in palliative care may be a valuable intervention for depressive symptoms.
-
Palliative medicine · Jul 2012
Gender differences in prevalence of depression among patients receiving palliative care: the role of dependency.
in community studies the prevalence of depression is higher in women than men; however, in palliative care settings this relationship is usually less strong, absent or reversed. ⋯ depending on others for help with basic tasks appears to contribute to the burden of depression among men with terminal illness. This gender-specific association may explain why the usual gender differences in depression prevalence are not observed in palliative care.
-
Palliative medicine · Jul 2012
Managing Cancer and Living Meaningfully (CALM): a qualitative study of a brief individual psychotherapy for individuals with advanced cancer.
Although psychosocial care has been regarded as central to palliative and supportive care, there have been few empirically tested approaches to individual intervention. ⋯ Findings from a qualitative study suggest that the CALM intervention provides substantial benefits for patients with advanced cancer prior to the end of life. Findings informed the development of a randomized controlled trial to evaluate the effectiveness of this intervention.