The American journal of hospice & palliative care
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Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the United States, with most of these deaths taking place in the hospital setting. Discussions on end-of-life care and on cardiopulmonary resuscitation in particular are an important component in the management of patients with cancer. Clinical decision making and respect for patient autonomy dictate that health care providers provide their patients with accurate information on the expected outcomes of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. This article reviews those factors that affect the outcome of cardiopulmonary resuscitation in patients with cancer and provides recommendations on obtaining do-not-resuscitate orders in these patients.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2007
Partners in pediatric palliative care: a program to enhance collaboration between hospital and community palliative care services.
The provision of high-quality palliative care services to dying children and their families often requires extensive collaboration between hospital-based and community-based care teams. This article describes the origins and development of the Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program, which has provided pediatric-specific educational offerings and fostered joint endeavors between a palliative care service located in a tertiary care children's hospital and a wide range of hospice and home care agencies in 5 states. The Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program is evaluated in terms of the favorable ratings that attendees have given the educational components, the relatively modest direct costs of mounting the regional meetings, and the expanded capacity to provide home-based palliative services to children and families who desire them. The Partners in Pediatric Palliative Care program provides another feasible means for hospitals and community agencies to work together to improve pediatric palliative care.
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Am J Hosp Palliat Care · Jun 2007
Nursing autonomy plays an important role in nurses' attitudes toward caring for dying patients.
The aim of this study was to clarify the relationship of nursing autonomy and other factors related to attitudes toward caring for dying patients. A cross-sectional survey of nurses was conducted in November 2003 using a self-administered questionnaire. We collected demographic data from 178 (75%) participants and used the Frommelt Attitude Toward Care of the Dying scale, Form B, Japanese version (FATCOD-Form B-J), the Pankratz Nursing Questionnaire (PNQ), and the Death Attitude Inventory (DAI). ⋯ Death anxiety domain of the DAI (beta = -.17, P = .02), patients' rights domain of the PNQ (beta =.46, P = .001), and rejection of traditional role limitations domain of the PNQ (beta = .34, P = .001) were selected as significant independent variables by multivariate analysis to evaluate the nurses' perception of patient-and family-centered care. In conclusion, nursing autonomy plays an important role in the attitudes of Japanese nurses who care for dying patients. Educational and administrative efforts to strengthen nursing autonomy are necessary.
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Falls prevention is a critical priority in hospice and palliative care settings. To keep patients safe and comply with national standards, hospice professionals must have available appropriate assessment, prevention, and intervention tools. Existing procedures engaging patients in strengthening exercises and reducing or eliminating medications that cause dizziness, imbalance and confusion are fitting and useful in environments where first-line fall reduction efforts are possible. ⋯ By definition, hospice patients have a terminal illness and are, or will become, too weak to manage strengthening exercises. Without their medications, many would experience intolerable pain and unmanageable anxiety and depression. This article proposes assessment guidelines and pragmatic interventions to reduce the risk of falling that are consistent with the hospice philosophy of comfort.