Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer
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Support Care Cancer · Dec 2014
Making sense of continuous sedation in end-of-life care for cancer patients: an interview study with bereaved relatives in three European countries.
The purpose of the study was to explore relatives' descriptions and experiences of continuous sedation in end-of-life care for cancer patients and to identify and explain differences between respondents from the Netherlands, Belgium, and the UK. ⋯ Relatives believed that sedation contributed to the patient having a good death. Nevertheless, they also expressed concerns that may have been provoked by unexpected events for which they were unprepared. There seems to exist differences in the process of saying goodbye between the NL/BE and the UK.
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Support Care Cancer · Dec 2014
A correlational study of suicidal ideation with psychological distress, depression, and demoralization in patients with cancer.
This study aims to study the effects of depression and demoralization on suicidal ideation and to determine the feasibility of the Distress Thermometer as a screening tool for patients with cancer who experience depression and demoralization, and thus to establish a model screening process for suicide prevention. ⋯ Demoralization had more influence on suicidal ideation than depression did. Therefore, attention should be paid to highly demoralized patients with cancer or high demoralization comorbid with depression for the purposes of suicide evaluation and prevention. The DT scale (with a cutoff of ≥5 points) has discriminative ability as a screening tool for demoralization or depression and can also be used in clinical settings for the preliminary screening of patients with cancer and high suicide risk.
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Support Care Cancer · Nov 2014
Trajectory and predictors of quality of life during the dying process: roles of perceived sense of burden to others and posttraumatic growth.
Quality of life (QOL) at end of life (EOL) is related to important themes, e.g., "sense of burden to others" and "perceived posttraumatic growth," which have never been investigated concurrently. The purposes of this study were: (1) to describe the trajectory of QOL during the dying process and (2) to identify determinants of QOL, including the roles of perceived sense of burden to others and posttraumatic growth. ⋯ Deteriorating QOL as death approaches may not be inevitable. Optimal QOL at EOL may be achieved by interventions designed to adequately manage physical and psychological symptoms, enhance social support, lighten perceived sense of burden to others, and facilitate experiences of posttraumatic growth.
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Support Care Cancer · Oct 2014
The EAPC framework on palliative sedation and clinical practice--a questionnaire-based survey in Germany.
Palliative sedation (PS) can be offered to patients with intolerable symptom burden refractory to comprehensive palliative care (PC) treatment. Little is known about the daily practice of using PS in German specialized PC institutions in the context of existing national and international recommendations. ⋯ Many differences exist in frequency and clinical handling of PS in Germany. Implementation of international and national recommendations into clinical practice remains inconsistent.