Mayo Clinic proceedings
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2010
Multicenter StudyPredicting patients' expectations of hospital chaplains: a multisite survey.
To identify patient expectations regarding chaplain visitation, characteristics of patients who want to be visited by a chaplain, and what patients deem important when a chaplain visits. ⋯ The results of this study suggest the importance medical and surgical patients place on being visited by a chaplain while they are hospitalized. Those who valued chaplains because they reminded them of God's care and presence and/or because they prayed or read scripture with them were more likely to desire a visit. Our results also suggest that being religiously affiliated is a very strong predictor of wanting chaplain visitation.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2010
The obesity paradox and mortality associated with surrogates of body size and muscle mass in patients receiving hemodialysis.
To determine whether dry weight gain accompanied by an increase in muscle mass is associated with a survival benefit in patients receiving maintenance hemodialysis (HD). ⋯ In patients receiving long-term HD, larger body size with more muscle mass appears associated with a higher survival rate. A discordant muscle gain with weight loss over time may confer more survival benefit than weight gain while losing muscle. Controlled trials of muscle-gaining interventions in patients receiving HD are warranted.
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Mayo Clinic proceedings · Nov 2010
Perspectives on withdrawing pacemaker and implantable cardioverter-defibrillator therapies at end of life: results of a survey of medical and legal professionals and patients.
To determine the opinions of medical professionals, legal professionals, and patients regarding the withdrawal of implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD) and pacemaker therapy at the end of life. ⋯ Most respondents thought device therapy should be withdrawn if the patient requested its withdrawal at the end of life. However, opinions of medical professionals and patients tended to be dependent on the type of device, with turning off ICDs being perceived as more acceptable than turning off pacemakers, whereas legal professionals tended to perceive all devices as similar. Thus, education and discussion regarding managing devices at the end of life are important when having end-of-life discussions and making end-of-life decisions to better understand patients' perceptions and expectations.