Palliative medicine
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter Study"Song of Life": Results of a multicenter randomized trial on the effects of biographical music therapy in palliative care.
Awareness for the importance of psychological and spiritual needs in patients with terminal diseases has increased in recent years, but randomized trials on the effects of psychosocial interventions are still rare. ⋯ Our findings provide evidence that "Song of Life" is an effective and meaningful biographical music therapy intervention to facilitate psycho-spiritual integration in terminally ill patients.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudySingle early palliative care intervention added to usual oncology care for patients with advanced cancer: A randomized controlled trial (SENS Trial).
International oncology societies recommend early palliative care. Specific models to integrate early palliative care efficiently into clinical practice are debated. The authors designed a study to look at the quantitative and qualitative outcomes of an early palliative care intervention in oncological care to decrease stress and improve quality of life. ⋯ The addition of an early intervention to usual care for patients with advanced cancer did not improve distress or quality of life. Thus, patients may need more intensive early palliative care with continuous professional support to identify and address their palliative needs early.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
ReviewToward a socio-spiritual approach? A mixed-methods systematic review on the social and spiritual needs of patients in the palliative phase of their illness.
Patients express a variety of needs, some of which are labeled social and spiritual. Without an in-depth exploration of patients' expressions of these needs, it is difficult to differentiate between them and allocate appropriate healthcare interventions. ⋯ What literature labels as social and spiritual needs shows great similarities and overlap. Instead of distinguishing social from spiritual needs based on patients' linguistic expressions, needs should always be explored in-depth. We propose a socio-spiritual approach that honors and preserves the multidimensionality of patients' needs and enables interdisciplinary teamwork to allocate patient-tailored care.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
ReviewUnderstanding the palliative care needs and experiences of people with mesothelioma and their family carers: An integrative systematic review.
People with mesothelioma and their families have palliative care needs throughout the relatively short trajectory of their illness. ⋯ The evidence base around the palliative care needs and experiences of people with mesothelioma and their carers needs to be strengthened. The results of this review support the need to develop a greater understanding about the role non-specialist palliative care clinicians' play in providing generalist palliative care for people with mesothelioma and their carers.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2021
The importance of living well now and relationships: A qualitative study of the barriers and enablers to engaging frail elders with advance care planning.
The population of frail elders is growing, and due to their vulnerability to sudden deterioration, advance care planning is particularly important. However, advance care planning is uncommon for multiple reasons, some of which are linked to the perceptions of frail elders and their families. ⋯ Essential enablers for frail elders are understanding what advance care planning is and why it may be relevant to them. For professionals, enablers include recognising the importance of living well now and relational decision-making. To further support advance care planning, recommendations include early engagement and re-conceptualising advance care planning as an ongoing process which encompasses current and future care. Further research is needed in different cultures and care contexts.