Journal of palliative medicine
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Patients and families can make informed decisions at the end-of-life if they have had discussions regarding their wishes, but this is not regularly done due to poor understanding of advance directives (AD). ⋯ AD video education is helpful to patients, improving perceived understanding of AD and increasing patients' intent to discuss and complete AD with family and providers.
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Comparative Study
Comparison of three shortened questionnaires for assessment of quality of life in advanced cancer.
Quality of life (QoL) assessment questionnaires can be burdensome to advanced cancer patients, thus necessitating the need for shorter assessment instruments than traditionally available. We compare three shortened QoL questionnaires in regards to their characteristics, validity, and reliability. ⋯ The EORTC QLQ-C15-PAL and the FACT-G7 were found to be reliable and appropriate for assessing health-related QoL issues-the former for palliative cancer patients and the latter for advanced cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Conceptually, the FACIT-PAL-14 holds promise to cover social and emotional support issues that are not completely addressed by the other two questionnaires; however, further validation is needed.
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Informal caregivers take on an important role in supporting people with advanced cancer but experience significant psychological distress. ⋯ Caregivers had high anxiety and distress. Caregivers with higher anxiety reported lower self-efficacy. The strongest correlation was with the self-maintenance subscale, indicating an association with psychological functioning and caregivers who are able to access respite and take care of themselves during care provision.