Journal of palliative medicine
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Review
A Review of Palliative and Hospice Care in the Context of Islam: Dying with Faith and Family.
By starting to understand Muslim culture, we can seek common ground with Islamic culture within the American experience and bridge opportunities for better palliative and hospice care here and in Middle Eastern countries. The United States, Canada, and Europe are education hubs for Middle Eastern students, creating an opportunity for the palliative and hospice care philosophy to gain access by proxy to populations of terminally ill patients who can benefit from end-of-life care. ⋯ A true opportunity to make a lasting impact at the patient level exists for palliative and hospice care researchers if we seek to understand, gain knowledge, and respect Muslim culture and Islamic issues at the end of life.
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Case Reports
The Role of Pediatric Palliative Care in Complex Congenital Heart Disease: Three Illustrative Cases.
Although the role of pediatric palliative care (PPC) is well described in oncology, neonatal, and pediatric intensive care patients, the involvement of PPC in patients with congenital heart disease (CHD) is not well explored. CHD is a leading cause of neonatal morbidity and can cause ongoing morbidity throughout the course of a child's life. PPC, with its focus on quality of life and longitudinal care through the course of an illness, could be of benefit to this population. ⋯ Involvement of PPC teams in patients with complex CHD can be beneficial for both families and caregivers. PPC teams can aid with advance care planning, goal setting, medical decision making, and bereavement support. Further research is needed to better quantify the benefits of PPC teams' involvement in this population.
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Comparative Study
Understanding Factors Contributing to Inappropriate Critical Care: A Mixed-Methods Analysis of Medical Record Documentation.
Factors leading to inappropriate critical care, that is treatment that should not be provided because it does not offer the patient meaningful benefit, have not been rigorously characterized. ⋯ Medical record documentation suggests that inappropriate treatment occurs in the setting of communication and decision-making patterns that may be amenable to intervention.
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Palliative care (PC) development is diverse and lacks an effective integration into European healthcare systems. This article investigates levels of integrated PC in European countries. ⋯ A set of barriers and opportunities to PC integration has been identified across Europe, by national associations, offering a barometer against which to check the challenge of integration across countries.
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Although a palliative approach to care is recommended for people with advanced dementia, many nursing home (NH) residents with dementia experience burdensome interventions such as hospital transfers at the end of life. ⋯ Advance care planning before an acute event is only the first step in a process of decision making. Attention to and support for decision making is needed at the time of each acute event to ensure that goals of care are maintained.