Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2012
Changing preferences for information and participation in the last phase of life: a longitudinal study among newly diagnosed advanced lung cancer patients.
The objective is to explore changes over time in the information and participation preferences of newly diagnosed stage IIIb/IV non-small-cell lung cancer patients. ⋯ Doctors should regularly ask their advanced lung cancer patients how much information and participation they want because preferences do change in unexpected ways.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2012
Psychometric properties of the German version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Survey Questionnaire (SCNS-SF34-G).
The recommendation to screen for distress and supportive care needs among cancer patients focuses on improving the quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of comprehensive cancer care. The purpose of this study was to test the psychometric properties of the German version of the Short-Form Supportive Care Needs Survey (SCNS-SF34-G). ⋯ The SCNS-SF34-G is an instrument with excellent psychometric properties for assessing supportive care needs among patients with various cancer entities. It seems to be useful to integrate the questionnaire into diagnostic assessment to tailor interventions according to patient needs. Further research is needed to gain knowledge of the development of unmet needs during the illness trajectory as well as of associations with offer and utilization of healthcare services.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2012
Considerations in developing and delivering a non-pharmacological intervention for symptom management in lung cancer: the views of health care professionals.
A respiratory distress symptom cluster has recently been identified in lung cancer associated with breathlessness, cough and fatigue, and the study reported here is part of a wider body of work being undertaken to develop a novel non-pharmacological intervention (NPI) for the management of this symptom cluster. The current paper reports the views of health care professionals (HCPs) involved with cancer care regarding the most appropriate ways of developing and delivering such a novel intervention. ⋯ The participants agreed that the novel symptom management NPI should be individually personalised to the needs of each patient and be available for patients when they become receptive to it. Moreover, they agreed that the intervention would be most effective if delivered to patients individually rather than in groups, outside acute medical settings where possible and closer to patient's homes, should be delivered by an HCP rather than a trained volunteer or lay person and should involve informal carers wherever practicable.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2012
Unmet spiritual care needs impact emotional and spiritual well-being in advanced cancer patients.
Spiritual care is an important part of healthcare, especially when facing the crisis of advanced cancer. Do oncology inpatients receive spiritual care consistent with their needs? When inconsistent, are there deleterious effects on patient outcomes? ⋯ A substantial minority of patients did not receive the spiritual care they desired while hospitalized. When spiritual needs are not met, patients are at risk of depression and reduced sense of spiritual meaning and peace. Spiritual care should be matched to cancer patients' needs.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2012
The management of procedural pain at the Italian Centers of Pediatric Hematology-Oncology: state-of-the-art and future directions.
The quality of life of children with cancer can be affected by the experience of cancer-related pain, treatment-related pain, procedural pain, generalized pain, and long-term chronic pain, and the consequences may be permanent. Treatment-related pain and procedural pain are often reportedly the most painful experiences relating to their illness. Procedural pain treatment is therefore now considered essential. This multicenter survey investigated how procedural pain is managed at Italian Pediatric Hematology-Oncology Centers. ⋯ A nationwide multicentre survey has been conducted for the first time to verify the management of procedural pain in Pediatric Hematology-Oncology patients. The results indicate that many aspects in the management of procedural pain appear consistent with the international guidelines. Some problems still remain, including the inability to ensure adequate sedation-analgesia in all the patients--often due to the lack of adequate staff, the frequent use of the operating room, and an underdeveloped use of non-pharmacological therapies.