Journal of palliative medicine
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To investigate patterns of grief and depression in a sample of parents whose child had died of cancer, and to examine factors related to burden of illness and end-of-life care as potential predictors of parental grief and depression outcomes. ⋯ A minority of parents met criteria for PGD and depression, however, almost half the sample was experiencing significant separation distress associated with persistent longing and yearning for their child. Time since death is a significant predictor of parental psychological distress. This study also highlights the importance of end-of-life factors in parents' long-term adjustment and the need for optimal palliative care to ensure the best possible outcomes for parents.
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Blood transfusions are often used as a potential treatment for cancer-related fatigue in anaemic palliative care patients. However, evidence of benefit using validated outcomes measures is lacking. ⋯ Thirty patients with cancer-related fatigue who received a blood transfusion completed the study. Both measures were capable of detecting statistical and clinically significant change in fatigue following transfusion. Furthermore, the measures showed significant differences between patients that did, or did not, report an overall improvement in fatigue. Patients found the measures easy to complete with no preference for one over another. Future clinical trials of blood transfusion for the management of fatigue should incorporate these validated outcome measures.
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The provision of supportive and palliative care for people with life-shortening illness has been emphasized throughout Department of Health and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE) cancer guidance. However, the question of whether services are achieving this aim has been sparsely researched to date particularly in relation to Specialist Palliative Day Care (SPDC) services. The current study aims to explore the experiences of patients attending SPDC with regard to coping with a terminal illness. ⋯ This work provides a piece of the puzzle in the exploration of the processes underpinning attendance at SPDC from a patient's perspective. It suggests that SPDC provides an environment in which patients receive help in coping with terminal illness. In such an under researched area it provides an insight regarding SPDC attendance which can be built upon or challenged by future research.