Journal of pain & palliative care pharmacotherapy
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
The International Observatory on End of Life Care: a new initiative to support palliative care development around the world.
The development of palliative care is proceeding rapidly in some areas of the world, but major problems continue to exist in several countries and regions. Comparative research evidence to inform palliative care development is limited and can be difficult to obtain, especially for resource poor settings. ⋯ The aims and plans of the newly created International Observatory on End of Life Care are described, together with its orientation to global partnership and collaboration. The Observatory will build on public health models to provide research-based intelligence about palliative care around the world, drawing also on cultural, historical and ethical perspectives.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Resources in The Cochrane Library: issue number 1, 2003.
The Cochrane Library of systematic reviews is published quarterly. Issue 1 for 2003 contains 2796 reviews of which 1598 are completed and in full text. Ten of those are directly relevant to pain management and palliative care. Annotated bibliographies for those nine reviews are provided.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Freedom from pain--a mirage or a possibility? Experience in attempts to change laws and practices in India.
The incidence of cancer increases exponentially with age and a large number of cancer patients are the older members of society. In many developing and some developed countries, the disease is usually detected at a stage when it is too late for aggressive anticancer therapy to have the desired effect. Most cancer patients suffer moderate to severe pain during the terminal phase of the disease. ⋯ They need to be educated to provide for their patients a pain-free life. Patients and their families need to be educated that cancer need not end in a painful death. It is not adequate to be able to manage cancer alone; one needs to free the society from fear of cancer.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care: international activities and future initiatives.
The International Association for Hospice and Palliative Care (IAHPC) is a global organization dedicated to the development and improvement of palliative care. The mission of IAHPC is to increase the availability and access to high quality hospice and palliative care for patients and families throughout the world. It does this by promoting communication, facilitating and providing education, and by becoming an information resource for patients, professionals, health care providers and policy makers around the world. This report describes activities of the IAHPC throughout the word and planned future initiatives.
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J Pain Palliat Care Pharmacother · Jan 2003
Community hospital physician and nurse attitudes about pain management.
An interdisciplinary committee was established and charged with examining pain management and developing interventions at a 148 bed community hospital. To examine strategies on managing pain from both healthcare provider and patient perspectives, the committee surveyed the attitudes of physicians and nurses toward pain management and patients' opinions about the pain management they received in the hospital. A separate survey instrument was developed for physicians, nursing staff and patients. ⋯ Results showed that the majority of physicians (88.9%, n = 40) and nurses (83.0%, n = 118) were satisfied with the pain management outcomes in their patients, and that 91.1% of physicians and 90.2% of nurses included their patients in the pain management decision-making process. Nearly all patients believed their pain was adequately managed, but the results indicated a need to improve the use of pain assessment scales by the hospital staff and a need to educate and involve all patients in their pain management options. Survey data also showed a desire for staff education on pain management.