International journal of palliative nursing
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People with cancer usually like to spend as much time as possible at home rather than in the hospital. Nurses have a pivotal role when patients are discharged to a unit in hospital or from hospital to the community health-care system. ⋯ This study illustrates surgical nurses' perspectives on the discharge destinations of cancer patients receiving palliative care. The findings have implications for initiatives aimed at providing more home-based palliative care.
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Malignant pleural effusion (MPE) is a distressing condition for the patient, causing many symptoms such as shortness of breath, dry cough, an uncomfortable feeling of heaviness in the chest, and pleuritic pain. MPE reduces quality of life and functional status. ⋯ It is important that decisions about treatment are made within the multidisciplinary team and alongside the patient and family. Treatment goals are concerned with the relief or elimination of dyspnoea, restoration of near-normal activity and function, and avoidance of inpatient care.
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Clinical Trial
Impact of an educational pain management programme on nurses pain knowledge and attitudes in Kenya.
Pain is a common symptom for patients receiving palliative care, but can be relieved by effective pain management. Nurses play a critical part in implementing pain management effectively and must therefore have a solid foundation of knowledge and a positive attitude toward it. ⋯ The PMP appears to be effective in improving nurses' pain knowledge and attitudes.
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HIV/AIDS has become a chronic and manageable disease owing to the remarkable advancement in medication, and it is now suggested that a palliative approach should be integrated into the trajectory of the disease to alleviate patients' psychosocial distress and optimally improve their quality of life. This article synthesises a body of literature to highlight several clinical and systematic challenges that should be addressed in implementing a palliative approach to care for HIV/AIDS patients. ⋯ To inform current practice in the palliative care domain, responses to the identified challenges are discussed. A disease stage-specific model is also presented to respond to the prolonged course of HIV/AIDS.