Articles: palliative-care.
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Patient sexuality and intimacy comprise important dimensions of quality of life (QOL), making them essential topics for palliative care (PC) clinicians to address. Created with interprofessional input from PC, urology, gynecology, sexual health, oncology, psychiatry, psychology, nursing, and social work, this article offers 10 high-yield, evidence-based tips to better equip PC clinicians to address sexuality and intimacy for patients with serious illness. These tips highlight skills such as opening discussions, assessing concerns through a biopsychosocial model, and thinking through appropriate interventions to improve QOL.
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Background: Patients with severe coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) often rapidly deteriorate with severe dyspnea and should receive early specialist palliative care (SPC) as intensive symptom management may be required at the end of life. Currently, there is a paucity of data identifying triggers for early SPC involvement. Objective: To identify risk factors among nonventilated patients with severe COVID-19 who required high opioid and/or benzodiazepines (BZD) use for the control of dyspnea. ⋯ High users also required higher supplemental oxygen and had higher inpatient mortality rates. Conclusions: High dyspnea score is predictive of high opioid and/or BZD use for symptom control in nonventilated patients with severe COVID-19. Such patients with high mortality rates should be seen early by SPC.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2024
ReviewHome Hospitalization in Palliative Care for Advanced Cancer and Dementia: A Systematic Review.
Home hospitalization (HHOSP) is an alternative care model aimed at alleviating pressure on healthcare systems and catering to the increasing patient population. It aligns with the preference for home-based palliative care (PALC) and end-of-life care. ⋯ The findings highlight HHOSP's potential as an alternative for delivering PALC, reducing hospital readmissions, and improving patient and caregiver satisfaction. Despite heterogeneity in study designs and outcomes, HHOSP aligns with patient and caregiver preferences, enhancing the quality of end-of-life care. Further standardized research is needed to optimize HHOSP implementation.
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Pediatr Crit Care Me · Nov 2024
Timing of Palliative Care Consultation and End-of-Life Care Intensity in Pediatric Patients With Advanced Heart Disease: Single-Center, Retrospective Cohort Study, 2014-2022.
Pediatric patients with advanced heart disease (AHD) often receive high intensity medical care at the end of life (EOL). In this study, we aimed to determine whether receipt and timing of pediatric palliative care (PPC) consultation was associated with EOL care intensity of pediatric patients with AHD. ⋯ Early PPC was associated with fewer invasive interventions within 14 days of death, yet the care intensity at EOL remained high. With early PPC, families likely receive timely psychosocial and advance care planning support without significantly altering goals of care.