Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Sep 2022
ReviewMeasuring quality of dying, death and end-of-life care for children and young people: A scoping review of available tools.
The circumstances and care provided at the end of a child's life have a profound impact on family members. Although assessing experiences and outcomes during this time is challenging, healthcare professionals have a responsibility to ensure high quality of care is provided. ⋯ Future research should include ways to adapt, refine and improve existing tools. Assessing their wider application in different clinical and cultural settings and conducting further psychometric assessment represent areas of focus.
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Palliative medicine · Sep 2022
Bereavement outcomes in family members of those who died in acute care hospitals before and during the first wave of COVID-19: A cohort study.
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused millions of deaths worldwide, leading to symptoms of grief among the bereaved. Neither the burden of severe grief nor its predictors are fully known within the context of the pandemic. ⋯ Severe grief is common among family members bereaved during the COVID-19 pandemic, regardless of the cause or circumstances of death, and even if their loss took place before the onset of the pandemic. This suggests that aspects of the pandemic itself contribute to severe grief, and factors that normally mitigate grief may not be as effective.
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Palliative medicine · Sep 2022
Stakeholder perspectives of a pilot multicomponent delirium prevention intervention for adult patients with advanced cancer in palliative care units: A behaviour change theory-based qualitative study.
Theory-based and qualitative evaluations in pilot trials of complex clinical interventions help to understand quantitative results, as well as inform the feasibility and design of subsequent effectiveness and implementation trials. ⋯ This theory-informed qualitative study identified multiple influences on the delivery and documentation of a pilot multicomponent non-pharmacological delirium prevention intervention in four palliative care units. Findings inform future definitive studies of delirium prevention in palliative care.Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry, ACTRN12617001070325; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=373168.
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Palliative medicine · Sep 2022
Inadequate human resources, equipment and training: A qualitative assessment of the objectives of the NUHELP end-of-life care programme in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The COVID-19 pandemic had a particularly severe impact on nursing homes, exposing numerous pre-existing deficiencies in end-of-life care. ⋯ The pandemic cast light on existing shortcomings in nursing homes in terms of comprehensive assessments, communication, decision making, grief management and palliative care complexity. Nursing homes need more human, material and training resources, as well as improved coordination with the public healthcare system.