Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2014
Ideal care and the realities of practice: interdisciplinary relationships in the management of advanced cancer patients in Australian emergency departments.
Over the course of their illness, a person with cancer is likely to see a number of different healthcare professionals, including those in the emergency department (ED). There is limited research examining the interaction and communication between the involved healthcare professionals when such a patient presents to the ED. This study aimed to explore the views and experiences of interdisciplinary interactions of healthcare professionals caring for patients with advanced cancer who present to the ED. ⋯ Participants articulated agreed upon ideals of optimal care for advanced cancer patients across all three services, however there was frequently discord between these ideals and the actual care provided. Service demands and the day-to-day stressors of practice appeared to influence people's actions and engender conflict.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2014
Perception and fulfillment of cancer patients' nursing professional social support needs: from the health care personnel point of view.
This study aimed to (1) explore the needs of cancer patients regarding common nursing professional social support from the perspective of physicians and nurses, (2) identify what type of needs clinical nurses actually fulfill and what remains to be improved, and (3) analyze the potential reasons for the gap between the identified needs and those that are fulfilled. ⋯ Cancer patients' supportive care needs were not always fully provided by nurses, even when these needs were identified by healthcare professionals. Nursing professional social support needs should be assessed quickly and effectively so that the appropriate interventions can be offered to cancer patients.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyAprepitant triple therapy for the prevention of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting following high-dose cisplatin in Chinese patients: a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase III trial.
Aprepitant, an oral neurokinin-1 receptor antagonist, has demonstrated improved control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) in previous studies. This is the first phase III study to evaluate the efficacy and tolerability of aprepitant in patients receiving highly emetogenic chemotherapy (HEC) in Asian countries. ⋯ The addition of aprepitant to standard antiemetic treatment regimens for Chinese patients undergoing HEC provided superior CINV prevention and was well tolerated.
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Support Care Cancer · Apr 2014
ReviewReducing potentially inappropriate medications in palliative cancer patients: evidence to support deprescribing approaches.
Cancer patients who have transitioned from curative intent chemotherapy or radiotherapy to palliative therapy have limited life expectancies. Due to this, medications for primary and secondary prevention or those with no short-term benefit are potentially inappropriate medicines in this patient group. These medications often have potentially harmful profiles, increasing the patient's adverse drug events, pill burden, and medication costs. This review evaluates the most current evidence to assess the outcomes and potential methods used for identifying and ceasing potentially inappropriate medications (PIMs) in palliative cancer patients. ⋯ There is evidence that PIMs are commonly prescribed in palliative care patients. There are no studies that have identified the impact of ceasing PIMS in this setting. Published tools and implemented strategies have focused on the elderly populations. Further research is warranted in establishing clear guidelines for the identification of PIMs in palliative cancer patients as well as interventional studies assessing the outcomes of ceasing PIMs in these patients.