Journal of palliative medicine
-
Case Reports
Clinical supervision in the palliative care team setting: a concrete approach to team wellness.
Clinical supervision is a structured, case-based approach to learning that is used most often in the mental health field. An established palliative care consultation service at a large, academic medical center implemented a modified clinical supervision model in an effort to improve team members' awareness of their own emotions and the way those emotions impact behavior during, primarily, clinical encounters. This report discusses clinical supervision in detail and, by way of a case, illustrates the power of this intervention as a source of self-care and a concrete approach to managing palliative care team well-being.
-
Cough is a distressing symptom in advanced cancer. Opioids are used to relieve respiratory symptoms including dyspnea and cough. In addition to a central mechanism, opioids are thought to work peripherally via opioid receptors of the lung. Therefore, direct inhalation of morphine has been investigated in chronic lung disease or cancer. We report our experience of a nebulized form of morphine to control intractable cough in patients with advanced cancer. ⋯ Nebulized morphine was effective in controlling intractable cough due to cancer and it was convenient and safe.
-
To provide truly patient-centered palliative care services, there is a need to better understand the perspectives and experiences of patients and families. Increased understanding will provide insight into the development of health care team competencies and organizational changes necessary to improve patient care. ⋯ At end of life or during times of serious illness, patients and families identified behaviors of Presence, Reassurance, and Honoring Choices as important. According to patients/families, health care providers must be compassionate and empathetic and possess skills in listening, connecting, and interacting with patients and families.