J Palliat Care
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The purpose of this study was to collect information on the practice of end-of-life (EOL) care in long-term care (LTC) facilities in the Province of Ontario, Canada. A cross-sectional survey of directors of care in all licensed LTC facilities in the province was conducted between September 2003 and April 2004. Directors of care from 426 (76% response rate) facilities completed the postal survey questionnaire. ⋯ Directors of care endorsed the use of a number of strategies that would improve the care of dying residents. Logistic regression analysis identified the eight most important items predictive of facility staff having the ability to provide quality EOL care. The findings contribute to the current discussion on policies for meeting the care needs of residents in LTC facilities until life's end.
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The purpose of this paper is to present data about the level and background characteristics of physicians' training in palliative care in Australia (AU), Belgium (BE), Denmark (DK), Italy (IT), The Netherlands (NL), Sweden (SE) and Switzerland (CH) (n = 16,486). The response rate to an anonymous questionnaire differed between countries (39%-68%). In most countries approximately half of all responding physicians had any formal training in palliative care (median: 3-10 days). ⋯ Physicians in nursing home medicine (only in NL), geriatrics, oncology (not in NL), and general practice had the most training. In all seven countries, physicians with such training discussed options for palliative care and options to forgo life-sustaining treatment more often with their patients than did physicians without. Irrespective of earlier palliative care training, 87%-98% of the physicians wanted extended training.
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Health professionals are expected to support family caregivers of patients requiring palliative care. However, there is a dearth of empirical evidence to help clinicians identify caregivers who might be at risk of poor psychosocial functioning. ⋯ This study suggests that it may be possible to identify family caregivers who are at risk for poorer psychosocial functioning. However, replication in a larger sample is required before this screening approach can be recommended for clinical use.
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The purpose of this study was to determine the levels of quality of life of patients with terminal cancer who received palliative care in home settings. Data were collected from 85 cancer patients with a life expectancy of less than 12 months using the McGill Quality of Life Questionnaire-Hong Kong version (MQOL-HK). The mean total quality of life score was 6.36 +/- 1.37 out of 10. ⋯ There was a significant moderate correlation between age and the mean total quality of life scores (r = 0.53, p < 0.01). In addition, a moderate negative correlation was found between pain intensity and physical subscale (r = -0.57, p < 0.01). In conclusion, patients with terminal cancer receiving palliative home care experienced a moderately high level of quality of life, especially in the sphere of support.