Articles: palliative-care.
-
Over a 4-month period, 218 Chinese patients with advanced cancer were admitted to a palliative care unit in Hong Kong. Ninety-five (44%) of them had pain. Of these 95, 70 (mean age 61.7 years) were evaluated with the visual analogue scale (VAS) and the numerical rating scale (NRS). ⋯ The most common primary tumour was lung cancer. NRS scores strongly correlated with corresponding VAS scores, suggesting that NRS can routinely be used for pain intensity assessment in the Chinese. The study also showed that 64% of these patients with pain had moderate to severe disabilities to the basic activity of daily living, although there was no correlation between the severity of pain and the severity of disability.
-
Gan To Kagaku Ryoho · Jul 1998
Review[Prediction of survival of terminally ill cancer patients--a prospective study].
Planning effective palliative care requires accurate estimation of survival. A prospective study was performed on 150 hospice inpatients to identify prognostic factors in terminally ill cancer patients. ⋯ Multiple regression analysis showed that five factors were independent predictors of survival: performance status, dyspnea at rest, appetite loss, edema, and delirium. We discussed current problems and future directions of survival prediction for terminally ill cancer patients.
-
Terminal sedation is a phrase that has appeared in the palliative care literature in the last few years. There has not been a clear definition proposed for this term, nor has there been any agreement on the frequency with which the technique is used. A postal survey of 61 selected palliative care experts (59 physicians, two nurses) was carried out to examine their response to a proposed definition for 'terminal sedation', to estimate the frequency of this practice and the reasons for its use, to identify the drugs and dosages used, to determine the outcome, and to explore the decision-making process. ⋯ In conclusion, sedating agents are used by palliative care experts as tools for the management of symptoms. The term 'terminal sedation' should be abandoned and replaced with the phrase 'sedation for intractable distress in the dying'. Further research into the management of intractable symptoms and suffering is warranted.