Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2012
Multicenter StudyHigh prevalence of anaemia and limited use of therapy in cancer patients: a Belgian survey (Anaemia Day 2008).
The aim of this study is to provide relevant and accurate information on prevalence and treatment patterns of anaemia in Belgian cancer patients. ⋯ This survey shows that cancer-related anaemia is still frequently observed in cancer patients. Even if in our study ESA were used more frequently than about 10 years ago, still a large amount of anaemic patients who could be treated for anaemia according to EORTC guidelines, were not.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2012
Multicenter StudyChemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in daily clinical practice: a community hospital-based study.
Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) are major adverse effects of cancer chemotherapy. This study investigated: (1) the impact of CINV on patients' health-related quality of life (HRQL) in daily clinical practice; (2) the association between patient characteristics and type of antiemetics and CINV; and (3) the role of CINV in physicians' decisions to modify antiemetic treatment. ⋯ CINV continues to be a problem that adversely affects the daily lives of patients. CINV is worse in women and in younger patients. In daily clinical practice, acute CINV, but not delayed CINV, results in changes in antiemetic treatment. In view of the effects of not only acute, but also delayed CINV on daily life, more attention should be paid to adjustment of antiemetic treatment to cover CINV complaints, later during the chemotherapy cycle.
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This project sought to help palliative and hospice care practices improve patient care quality and operational efficiency by improving patient symptom status reporting and symptom management, reducing associated provider documentation workload, and enhancing patient-provider and provider-provider communication. We developed a user-friendly, electronic medical record-compatible, software prototype that allows typical clinical data and patient-reported outcomes (PRO) to be entered and stored. This data is immediately available during the clinical encounter with graphically depicted summaries for patient history and PRO assessments, a trending feature that links symptom behavior to interventions and the Edmonton Labeled Visual Information System. ⋯ Quality of patient care and operational efficiency can be improved with an effective assessment, evaluation, and communication tool. This project developed an electronic version of such a tool. Future efforts will hone its usability and integration across multiple hospice/palliative care settings.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2012
Multicenter Study Comparative StudyOutcomes of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents in cancer patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia.
To assess the clinical and economic outcomes among patients with chemotherapy-induced anemia (CIA) treated with United States Food and Drug Administration-approved fixed dosing regimens of erythropoiesis-stimulating agents (ESA). ⋯ These findings reported that patients with CIA achieved more favorable clinical and economic outcomes if initiated with EPO 40,000 U vs. DARB 500 mcg.
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Support Care Cancer · Jan 2012
Health economics of a palliative care unit for terminal cancer patients: a retrospective cohort study.
The objective of this study was to evaluate cost-reduction efficacy of a palliative care unit (PCU) by analyzing medical expenses of terminal cancer patients. ⋯ Cost savings of the PCU were verified. It was also determined that specific factors were tied to increased medical expenses during the last 6 months of life. If these parameters are controlled properly, additional cost savings, associated with palliative care could be realized.