Journal of palliative medicine
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Little is known about quality of life (QOL), depression, and end-of-life (EOL) outcomes among hospitalized patients with advanced cancer. ⋯ The surprise question identifies inpatients with advanced solid or hematologic cancers having poor QOL and frequent depressive symptoms. Although physicians expected death within a year, EOL quality outcomes were poor. Hospitalized patients with advanced cancer may benefit from palliative care interventions to improve mood, QOL, and EOL care, and the surprise question is a practical method to identify those with unmet needs.
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To determine whether specific psychosocial interventions can ease discomfort in palliative care (PC) patients, particularly in those with high levels of pain or emotional distress. ⋯ After successive psychosocial interventions, the level of suffering in complex patients decreased until close to parity with noncomplex patients, suggesting that patients with major complexity could benefit most from specific psychosocial treatment. These findings support the importance of assessing and treating patients' psychosocial needs.