Articles: palliative-care.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
'It breaks a narrative of paramedics, that we're lifesavers': A qualitative study of health professionals', bereaved family members' and carers' perceptions and experiences of palliative paramedicine.
Paramedic practice is diversifying to accommodate evolving global health trends, including community paramedicine models and growing expertise in palliative and end-of-life care. However, despite palliative care specific clinical practice guidelines and existing training, paramedics still lack the skills, confidence and clinical support to provide this type of care. ⋯ Paramedics were perceived to have a revered public identity, shaped by their ability to fix a crisis. However, paramedics and other health professionals also expressed fear and vulnerability when taking a palliative approach to care. Paramedics may require consent to move beyond a culture of curative care, yet all participant groups recognised their important adjunct role to support community-based palliative care.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
Hospital-service use in the last year of life by patients aged ⩾60 years who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy: A retrospective linked data study.
Understanding patterns of health care use in the last year of life is critical in health services planning. ⋯ In this study, patients who died of heart failure or cardiomyopathy were predominantly aged ⩾80 years and over half died in hospital. These patients experienced repeat acute hospitalisations in the year preceding death. Improving timely access to palliative care services in the outpatient or community setting is needed for patients with heart failure.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2023
A Systematic Approach to Assessing and Addressing Palliative Care Needs in an Outpatient Population.
A critical frontier for palliative medicine is to develop systems to routinely and equitably address the palliative care (PC) needs of seriously ill populations. ⋯ Through an innovative program, patients with serious illness were identified from a primary care population, assessed for PC needs, and offered specific services to meet those needs. While some patients were appropriate for specialty PC, even more needs were addressed without specialty PC. The program resulted in increased ACP and preserved quality of life.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
What makes the palliative care initial encounter meaningful? A descriptive study with patients with cancer, family carers and palliative care professionals.
The palliative care initial encounter can have a positive impact on the quality of life of patients and family carers if it proves to be a meaningful experience. A better understanding of what makes the encounter meaningful would reinforce the provision of person-centred, quality palliative care. ⋯ The initial encounter becomes meaningful when it facilitates a shared understanding of what palliative care entails and acknowledgement of the needs and/or roles of patients with cancer, family carers and professionals. Further studies are required to explore how a perception of acknowledgement may best be fostered in the initial encounter.
-
Palliative medicine · Sep 2023
'Life became slow down': A descriptive qualitative study of the experiences of cancer-related fatigue amongst people with advanced lung cancer.
Cancer-related fatigue is a complex multidimensional concept. However, little is known about the experience of cancer-related fatigue in people with advanced lung cancer. How they emotionally react to and cope with the experience of cancer-related fatigue according to cultural influences has not been extensively explored. ⋯ The findings provide insights into the lack of flexibility of people with advanced lung cancer to adapt to the multidimensional experience of cancer-related fatigue. The reactions and coping towards cancer-related fatigue are profoundly influenced by Chinese culture. Developing psychological interventions based on the cultural background are highly recommended to cultivate the ability to cope flexibly with stressful events and live a meaningful cancer life.