BMC palliative care
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BMC palliative care · Jun 2016
Caring for frail older people in the last phase of life - the general practitioners' view.
Frail older people are an increasingly important group in primary care due to demographic change. For these patients, a palliative care approach may be useful to sustain the quality of life in the last phase of their lives. While general practitioners (GPs) play a key role in the primary care for older patients, general palliative care is still in its infancy and little is known in Germany about caring for frail older people towards the end of life. This study aims to explore the tasks and challenges regarding the care for frail older patients in the last phase of life from the GPs' point of view, and the latter's perception of their own role and responsibilities. ⋯ The GPs show a strong commitment to caring for the frail older patients until the end of life. However, it is a challenging and complex task that requires significant time, which can take GPs to their limits. There is a great need to improve patient-and family-centered proactive communication, as well as interprofessional cooperation. Strengthening the team approach in primary care could relieve the burden on GPs, especially in rural areas, while simultaneously improving end-of-life care for their patients.
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BMC palliative care · May 2016
Sedation at the end of life - a nation-wide study in palliative care units in Austria.
Sedation is used to an increasing extent in end-of-life care. Definitions and indications in this field are based on expert opinions and case series. Little is known about this practice at palliative care units in Austria. ⋯ This study provides insights into the practice of end-of-life sedation in Austria. Critical appraisal of these data will serve as a starting point for the development of nation-wide guidelines for palliative sedation in Austria.
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BMC palliative care · May 2016
Clinical TrialFavored subjects and psychosocial needs in music therapy in terminally ill cancer patients: a content analysis.
Research has shown positive effects of music therapy on the physical and mental well-being of terminally ill patients. This study aimed to identify favored subjects and psychosocial needs of terminally ill cancer patients during music therapy and associated factors. ⋯ Seven main categories of therapeutically relevant subjects and nine dimensions of psychosocial needs could be identified when music therapy was delivered to terminally ill cancer patients. Results showed that patients with complex psychosocial situations addressed an average number of five subjects and needs, respectively. Some socio-demographic factors, the role of music in patient's lives and the applied music therapy methods may be related with the kind and number of expressed subjects and needs.
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BMC palliative care · May 2016
A qualitative exploration of the collaborative working between palliative care and geriatric medicine: Barriers and facilitators from a European perspective.
With an increasing number of people dying in old age, collaboration between palliative care and geriatric medicine is increasingly being advocated in order to promote better health and health care for the increasing number of older people. The aim of this study is to identify barriers and facilitators and good practice examples of collaboration and integration between palliative care and geriatric medicine from a European perspective. ⋯ Improving knowledge about its principles and acquainting basic palliative care skills appears mandatory for geriatricians and other health care professionals. In addition, establishing more academic chairs is seen as a priority in order to develop more education and development at the intersection of palliative care and geriatric medicine.
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BMC palliative care · May 2016
A retrospective population based cohort study of access to specialist palliative care in the last year of life: who is still missing out a decade on?
Historically, specialist palliative care has been accessed by a greater proportion of people dying with cancer compared to people with other life-limiting conditions. More recently, a variety of measures to improve access to palliative care for people dying from non-cancer conditions have been implemented. There are few rigorous population-based studies that document changes in palliative care service delivery relative to the number of patients who could benefit from such services. ⋯ There is small but significant increase in access to specialist palliative care services in Western Australia, specifically in patients dying with non-cancer conditions.