Articles: palliative-care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2023
Stigmatizing language expressed towards individuals with current or previous OUD who have pain and cancer: A qualitative study.
Stigma is known to impact the care of patients with opioid use disorder (OUD). ⋯ Healthcare provider stigma must be addressed as its effects are both quantitatively and qualitatively affecting patient care; in particular access to pain treatment. Continuity of care by known care providers may improve pain care for patients with cancer and OUD who are acutely hospitalized.
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Palliative medicine · Jun 2023
Existential experiences and perceptions of death among children with terminal cancer: An interpretative qualitative study.
Exploring the experience and understanding of death in children with terminal cancer is important to provide them with appropriate care. However, most studies have focused on the perspectives of parents and healthcare professionals, and few have focused on the end-of-life experiences of children. ⋯ Children with terminal cancer have a strong sense of loneliness and a desire to connect with the world they have left behind. Differences in children's perceptions and attitudes about death suggest that healthcare professionals should focus on their experiences and needs and provide personalized palliative care services to children and their families to improve their quality of life.
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As palliative care (PC) programs rapidly grow and expand across settings, the need to measure, improve, and standardize high-quality PC has also grown. The electronic health record (EHR) is a key component of these efforts as a central hub of care delivery and a repository of patient and system data. Deliberate efforts to leverage the EHR for PC quality improvement (QI) can help PC programs and health systems improve care for patients with serious illnesses. This article, written by clinicians with experience in QI, informatics, and clinical program development, provides practical tips and guidance on EHR strategies and tools for QI and quality measurement.
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Background: Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, is associated with higher mortality rates in women. Women also experience tremendous symptom burden, including dyspnea, anxiety, and depression, in comparison to men with COPD. Palliative care (PC) provides symptom management and addresses advanced care planning for serious illness, but little is known about the use of PC in women with COPD. ⋯ None of the studies identified in this review focused specifically on women with advanced COPD receiving PC, despite the significant impact that this illness has on women. Conclusion: It remains unknown if any intervention is more beneficial than another for women with advanced COPD. Future research is needed to provide an understanding of the unmet PC needs of women with advanced COPD.
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Background and Objectives: This study describes patients' prognostic awareness and palliative care use in the setting of immunotherapy for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (mNSCLC). Design: We surveyed 60 mNSCLC patients receiving immunotherapy at a large academic medical center; conducted follow-up interviews with 12 survey participants; and abstracted palliative care use, advance directive completion, and death within a year of survey completion from the medical record. Results: Forty seven percent of patients surveyed thought they would be cured; 83% were not interested in palliative care. ⋯ Only 7% had received outpatient palliative care and 8% had an advance directive a year after the survey; only 16% of the 19 patients who died had received outpatient palliative care. Conclusions: Interventions are needed to facilitate prognostic discussions and outpatient palliative care during immunotherapy. Clinical Trial Registration Number NCT03741868.