Journal of palliative medicine
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In Japan, a nationwide palliative care education program for primary palliative care (the Palliative care Emphasis program on symptom management and Assessment for Continuous medical Education: PEACE) was established in 2008. Effective delivery of such programs relies on adequate evaluations of program efficacy; however, such an instrument does not exist. ⋯ We successfully validated a newly developed palliative care knowledge questionnaire to evaluate PEACE effectiveness (PEACE-Q). The PEACE-Q could be useful for evaluating both palliative care knowledge among physicians and education programs in primary palliative care.
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Informal caregivers of palliative patients took part in existential behavioral therapy (EBT), a group intervention comprising mindfulness exercises to reduce psychological distress and improve quality of life. ⋯ The categories considered as being helpful parallel core elements of EBT and recent grief theories. The intervention was found to be supportive and met the needs of the participants. The interviewees appreciated the continuity of EBT support from palliative care into bereavement.
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Comparative Study
Effects of initiating palliative care consultation in the emergency department on inpatient length of stay.
Increased attention has been directed at the intersection of emergency and palliative medicine, since decisions made in the emergency department (ED) often determine the trajectory of subsequent medical treatments. Specifically, we examined whether inpatient admissions after palliative care (PC) consultation initiated in the ED were associated with decreased length of stay (LOS), compared with those in which consultations were initiated after hospital admission. ⋯ Early initiation of PC consultation in the ED was associated with a significantly shorter LOS for patients admitted to the hospital, indicating that the patient- and family-centered benefits of PC are complemented by reduced inpatient utilization.
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Patients are commonly referred to cancer genetics services when all affected family members are deceased. This makes genetic testing and risk assessment more difficult, reducing the benefit from screening and prophylactic treatment. ⋯ Using a simple "3, 2, 1" family rule in cancer care and particularly in palliative care could enable earlier cancer genetic risk assessment for unaffected relatives, improving the potential to benefit from targeted screening and intervention.
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Observational Study
Methadone rotation for cancer patients with refractory pain in a palliative care unit: an observational study.
Methadone has been reported to be as effective as morphine for cancer pain management. It is commonly used as an alternative opioid in case of insufficient relief. ⋯ Our results suggest that methadone is effective and well tolerated for refractory cancer pain.