BMC palliative care
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BMC palliative care · Jul 2017
Better palliative care for people with a dementia: summary of interdisciplinary workshop highlighting current gaps and recommendations for future research.
Dementia is the most common neurological disorder worldwide and is a life-limiting condition, but very often is not recognised as such. People with dementia, and their carers, have been shown to have palliative care needs equal in extent to those of cancer patients. However, many people with advanced dementia are not routinely being assessed to determine their palliative care needs, and it is not clear why this is so. ⋯ The care experienced by people with dementia and their families has the potential to be improved; palliative care frameworks may have much to offer in this endeavour. However, a solid evidence base is required to translate palliative care into practice in the context of dementia. This paper presents suggested research priorities as a starting point to build this evidence base. An interdisciplinary approach to research and priority setting is essential to develop actionable knowledge in this area.
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BMC palliative care · Jul 2017
The provision of generalist and specialist palliative care for patients with non-malignant respiratory disease in the North and Republic of Ireland: a qualitative study.
Previous research and key guidelines have suggested potential models of palliative care for patients with COPD and interstitial lung disease. However, these recommendations are often not effectively implemented in clinical practice and are void of guidance regarding palliative care for patients with bronchiectasis, another form of non-malignant respiratory disease. The aim of this research was to explore generalist and specialist palliative care service provision for people with non-malignant respiratory disease in the North and Republic of Ireland. ⋯ This research provides an important insight into a potential model of palliative care for people with non-malignant respiratory disease, inclusive of bronchiectasis. However, the feasibility of integrating this model into clinical practice requires further exploration.
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BMC palliative care · Jul 2017
Randomized Controlled Trial Multicenter StudyStrengthening primary health care teams with palliative care leaders: protocol for a cluster randomized clinical trial.
The objective of the Balearic Islands Palliative Care (PC) Program is to improve the quality of PC through a shared model consisting of primary health care professionals, home-based PC teams, and PC units in hospitals. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), patients with advanced cancer and other terminal diseases benefit from early identification and proactive PC. We will evaluate the effectiveness of an intervention in which a PC leader is established in the primary health care center, and assess the effect of this intervention on the early identification of patients in need of PC, the efficient use of health care services, and direct health care costs. ⋯ PC leaders in primary care teams will improve the early identification of patients eligible for PC. This initiative could improve the quality of end-of-life care and utilization of hospital resources.
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BMC palliative care · Jul 2017
Observational StudyMindfulness and compassion-oriented practices at work reduce distress and enhance self-care of palliative care teams: a mixed-method evaluation of an "on the job" program.
Maintaining a sense of self-care while providing patient centered care, can be difficult for practitioners in palliative medicine. We aimed to pilot an "on the job" mindfulness and compassion-oriented meditation training for interdisciplinary teams designed to reduce distress, foster resilience and strengthen a prosocial motivation in the clinical encounter. ⋯ Our findings suggest that the training may be a feasible, effective and practical way of reducing caregiver-distress and enhancing the resources of palliative care teams.