Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Although spiritual distress is present across cultures, the ways in which patients experience it vary between cultures. Our goal was to examine the cultural expression and key indicators of spiritual distress in Israel. ⋯ Specially designed interventions to reduce spiritual distress should address the expressions of the distress specific to that culture. Studies of the efficacy of spiritual care can examine the extent of spiritual distress in general or of its specific cultural expressions.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2018
A systematic review of the measurement properties of the European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer In-patient Satisfaction with Care Questionnaire, the EORTC IN-PATSAT32.
The EORTC IN-PATSAT32 is a patient-reported outcome measure (PROM) to assess cancer patients' satisfaction with in-patient health care. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the initial good measurement properties of the IN-PATSAT32 are confirmed in new studies. ⋯ In summary, the IN-PATSAT32 performs as expected with respect to reliability and construct validity. No firm conclusions can be made yet whether the IN-PATSAT32 also performs as well with respect to structural validity and internal consistency. Further research on these measurement properties of the PROM is therefore needed as well as on measurement error, responsiveness, criterion validity, and cross-cultural validity. For future studies, it is recommended to take the COSMIN methodology into account.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2018
Maximizing patient adherence to prehabilitation: what do the patients say?
Multimodal prehabilitation programs (exercise, nutrition, and anxiety reduction) have been shown to be successful for enhancing patients' physical function prior to surgery, although adherence remains a challenge. Given the short pre-operative period, maintaining adherence is critical to maximize program effectiveness. This study was designed to better understand patients' perspectives of prehabilitation and to identify factors related to program adherence. ⋯ These findings highlight the need to make prehabilitation programs more patient-centered. This is critical when designing more effective therapeutic strategies tailored to meet patients' specific needs while overcoming program non-adherence.
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Support Care Cancer · Aug 2018
Palliative care in Swiss pediatric oncology settings: a retrospective analysis of medical records.
This study examined the provision of palliative care and related decision-making in Swiss pediatric oncology settings. The aim was to determine if and when children who died from cancer received palliative care, whether there were differences by cancer diagnosis, and inclusion of children in decision-making regarding palliative care. ⋯ There are still high numbers of late or non-referrals, and even children older than 12 years were not involved in decision-making regarding palliative care. These results do not align with international organizational guidelines which recommend that palliative care should begin at diagnosis.