Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2003
What are the problems in palliative care? Results from a representative survey.
The development of a standardised core documentation for palliative care was initiated in Germany in 1996. Results from previous evaluations have shown the wide variability of the documentation in participating units. A different documentation form was used in 2001 using free text entries to find out what problems palliative care specialists perceive in their patients. ⋯ Excessive distress on caregivers and the organisation of home care were the predominant social problems. In conclusion, this representative prospective survey with the majority of palliative care units in Germany showed the high effectiveness of symptom relief. Using the categories identified in this study, checklists were constructed and included in the documentation forms that are currently used for the core documentation project.
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Support Care Cancer · Jul 2003
Distress of inpatients with terminal cancer in Japanese palliative care units: from the viewpoint of spirituality.
A qualitative study was conducted in an attempt to improve our understanding of the spiritual distress of terminally ill cancer patients in Japan. The subjects were inpatients at four approved palliative care units in Japan. The patients were interviewed and they expressed their own experiences in which spirituality was considered to be identifiable. ⋯ Distress was classified into three categories: distress due to the gap between the present situation and how the individual wanted to live, how the individual wished to die, and the individual's wish to maintain relations with others. The aspirations causing the gap were then interpreted from the viewpoint of spirituality as "anchors in life" for Japanese patients with terminal cancer. It was also revealed that in patients who possessed pictures of how they wished to die as their "anchors in life" and who were in a severe physical condition, distress increased and they became confused after their physical symptoms were relieved following admission to PCU.