Articles: palliative-care.
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Randomized Controlled Trial
Alleviation of Dyspnea and Changes in Physical Activity Level by Blowing Air to the Face with a Fan.
Dyspnea is an unpleasant subjective symptom and is associated with decreased physical activity level (PAL). Effect of blowing air toward the face has received a great deal of attention as a symptomatic therapy for dyspnea. However, little is known about the duration of its effect and its impact on PAL. Therefore, this study aimed to measure dyspnea severity and changes in dyspnea and PALs with air blasts to the face. ⋯ No significant difference was observed for dyspnea and PALs in subjects after blowing air toward their own faces with a small fan for 3 weeks at home. Disease variability and impact of protocol violations were high due to small number of cases. Further studies with a design focused on subject protocol adherence and measurement methods are required to understand impact of air flow on dyspnea and PAL.
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Tohoku J. Exp. Med. · Nov 2023
Web-Based Post-Bereavement Survey System in Specialized Palliative Care: A Feasibility Pilot Study.
Web-based post-bereavement survey systems for specialized palliative care will enable obtaining timely results on the care quality from more participants at a lower cost. The primary aim of the study was to develop a web-based post-bereavement survey system and to compare response rates for different number of items. The secondary aim was to examine response bias between web-based and mail survey in post-bereavement surveys. ⋯ Compared with a previous nationwide post-bereavement mail survey, more children responded; however, the quality rating scores was unchanged. Despite low response rate, no apparent response bias was observed, indicating its feasibility. This survey method is low-cost, less burdensome to the institution, and allows for ongoing quality assurance.
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Despite robust evidence describing the benefits of palliative care consultation (PCC), this service is underutilized. Hospital admission provides an important opportunity to obtain PCC. ⋯ Many patients are introduced to palliative care services within a month of death. These patients were often admitted during the prior year, presenting a missed opportunity to involve inpatient PCC earlier.