Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Mar 2022
General practitioners' evaluations of optimal timing to initiate advance care planning for patients with cancer, organ failure, or multimorbidity: A health records survey study.
Appropriate timing to initiate advance care planning is difficult, especially for individuals with non-malignant disease in community settings. ⋯ The optimal advance care planning timing and reasons to initiate advance care planning indicated by GPs differ between patients with cancer and other illnesses, and they also differ between GPs. This suggests that "the" optimal timing for ACP should be seen as a "window of opportunity" for the different disease trajectories.
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Palliative medicine · Mar 2022
Randomized Controlled TrialEvaluation of a WeChat-based Dyadic Life Review Program for people with advanced cancer and family caregivers: A mixed-method feasibility study.
Cancer not only affects cancer patients' quality of life but also their family caregivers'. A WeChat-based Dyadic Life Review Program was developed by our research team for people with advanced cancer and their family caregivers to improve their quality of life. ⋯ The WeChat-based Dyadic Life Review Program is feasible and acceptable for people with advanced cancer and their family caregivers. It has the potential to improve their quality of life, adaptability and cohesion, and reduce family caregivers' care burden.
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Palliative medicine · Mar 2022
Communication strategies and persuasion as core components of shared decision-making for children with life-limiting conditions: A multiple case study.
Families and professionals caring for children with life-limiting conditions face difficult healthcare decisions. Shared decision-making is promoted in many countries, however little is known about factors influencing these processes. ⋯ Communication strategies in shared decision-making are underpinned by moral work. Professionals should be aware of the models of shared decision-making which include such communication strategies. Open discussions regarding individuals' moral reasoning may assist the process of shared decision-making.
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Palliative medicine · Mar 2022
Facilitating family needs and support at the end of life in hospital: A descriptive study.
Caring for family members of dying patients is a vital component of end-of-life care, yet family members' needs at the end of life may be unmet. ⋯ Prioritising family needs should be core to end-of-life care. Anticipation of death should trigger routine referral to support personnel/services to ensure practice is guided by family needs. More research is needed to evaluate how family needs assessment can inform end-of-life care, supported by policy.