Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2003
The validity of EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale in advanced cancer patients and cancer survivors.
Fatigue is a major complaint among advanced cancer patients. Several instruments are available for measuring fatigue. The EORTC QLQ-C30 is one of the most frequently used health-related quality of life (HRQOL) instruments, and it includes a three-item fatigue subscale. ⋯ A floor/ ceiling effect seems to appear for the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale. The validity of the EORTC QLQ-C30 fatigue scale is to be questioned for use in palliative care patients. In studies with fatigue as a defined end point, a domain-specific instrument should, therefore, be added.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2003
Letter Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialIs there an additive analgesic effect of paracetamol at step 3? A double-blind randomized controlled study.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2003
General practice vocational training in the UK: what teaching is given in palliative care?
Palliative care is an integral part of the general practitioner's role and palliative care teaching and training should be available for GP registrars during vocational training. ⋯ There is wide disparity in both the amount and content of teaching about palliative care within UK vocational training schemes. Difficulty in accessing placements within hospices and in accessing staff from such units to undertake teaching may be a barrier to effective and comprehensive palliative care teaching for doctors working in primary care. We suggest that a national generic curriculum of palliative care within primary care be implemented.
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Palliative medicine · Oct 2003
Randomized Controlled Trial Clinical TrialLow-dose methadone has an analgesic effect in neuropathic pain: a double-blind randomized controlled crossover trial.
The analgesic effectiveness and adverse effect incidence of a daily dose of 10 or 20 mg of oral methadone were evaluated in 18 patients with a diverse range of chronic neuropathic pain syndromes, who had all responded poorly to traditional analgesic regimens. Analgesia was seen after each dose of methadone. As compared with placebo, the 20 mg daily dose (given as 10 mg bd) resulted in statistically significant (P = 0.013-0.020) improvements in patient Visual Analogue Scale ratings of maximum pain intensity, average pain intensity and pain relief, recorded at the same time daily. ⋯ Patient compliance was high throughout the trial. One patient withdrew during the 10 mg and six during the 20 mg methadone treatment periods. This is the first double-blind randomized controlled trial to demonstrate that methadone has an analgesic effect in neuropathic pain.