Journal of palliative medicine
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While caring for critically ill and terminal patients can elicit grief symptoms in health care professionals, few studies have examined oncologists' grief over patient loss using a qualitative approach to inquiry. ⋯ Effective interventions to help oncologists cope with grief must identify the expectation gaps between physicians and patients when it comes to end-of-life care.
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To explore the psychological experiences of children with brain tumors at the end of life. ⋯ Children who die from brain tumors experience a distinct set of progressive neurologic deteriorations that invariably impact psychological status both positively and negatively. Informed treatments that build on positive growth and minimize negative symptoms are required in order to reduce the suffering incurred to the child and family and to optimize quality of life.
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In recent years, intensive care for cancer patients has improved and treatment of critically ill cancer patients has become increasingly aggressive over time. However, not all cancer patients would benefit from aggressive care, especially those with late-stage cancer. ⋯ Among late-stage lung cancer patients with sepsis-related respiratory failure, those with lower SOFA scores seemed to have better survival rate and may benefit from intensive care in the ICU. Early palliative care should be considered for all patients with advanced lung cancer, and hospice care is suggested for those with sepsis-respiratory failure and high SOFA scores.
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To meet the complex needs of patients with serious illness, health professional students require education in basics aspects of palliative care, including how to work collaboratively on an interprofessional team. ⋯ This innovative interprofessional educational program combines online learning with live interactive simulation to teach professionally diverse students spiritual, cultural, and interprofessional aspects of palliative care. Despite the challenge of balanced professional representation, this innovative interprofessional educational program met its learning objectives, and may be transferable for use in other educational settings.