Pflege Zeitschrift
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The aim of palliative care for seriously ill and dying patients suffering from oncological diseases is to obtain or enhance the quality of their lifes. It will become more and more necessary to evaluate and record the efficiency of different kinds of medical care with reliable and validated instruments. Professional home care will gain in importance for various political and economic reasons. ⋯ The dimensions of symptom control (pain, fatigue, vomiting, and breathlessness) improved most distinctively in the outpatient care group. The German EORTC-QLQ-C30 turned out to be a reliable evaluation instrument for measuring patients' quality of life in out-patient or inpatient palliative care. Ambulant care always has to be considered as an alternative to inpatient care without leading to any quality deficits.
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Delirium (acute confusion) in elderly people is common and can present as an emergency. The magnitude of the problem is often overlooked or underestimated in clinical practice. Many healthcare providers find that caring for delirious patients is very stressful. ⋯ Successful intervention programs that are based on targeted and interdisciplinary multicomponent strategies have been developed. Nurses can play a pivotal role in these types of delirium management programs. The stress of caring for delirious patients can also be reduced through the implementation of such programs.