Articles: palliative-care.
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Background: Nominal group technique (NGT) is a well-established research method for establishing consensus. Owing to the COVID-19 pandemic, research methods need to be adapted to engage with participants online. Objective: To determine the feasibility and acceptability of adapting NGT to an online format. ⋯ Results/Implementation: Three NGT sessions used online platforms (Zoom/MS Office/Mentimeter) for the meetings. Analysis of the facilitator reports generated three themes: preparation/facilitation/timing; optimizing technology; and interactions. Conclusions: Conducting NGT meetings online is viable and may be advantageous when compared with traditional face-to-face meetings, but requires careful preparation for participants to contribute effectively.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2021
The effects of confronting one's own end of life on older individuals and those with a life-threatening disease: A systematic literature review.
Awareness of the impending end of one's life can pose profound existential challenges, thereby impairing well-being. Confronting one's own end of life may be an approach to meet the psychological needs and consequently enhance overall well-being. Different approaches of confrontation have been evaluated positively using measures of psychosocial comfort. To date, there exists no systematic overview on the different ways of confrontation (e.g. psychosocial or individual coping approaches). ⋯ Low-threshold opportunities of confrontation have the potential to improve well-being and should be emphasized in practical implementation. The results can serve as a comprehensive basis for future research aiming to investigate the determinants of psychosocial comfort for people nearing the end of life.
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Palliative medicine · Dec 2021
Arts engagement facilitated by artists with individuals with life-limiting illness: A systematic integrative review of the literature.
Living with life-limiting illness significantly impacts quality of life. A growing body of evidence suggests that arts engagement facilitated by artists promotes well-being. However, no synthesis of the literature exists to describe arts engagement delivered by artists with individuals receiving palliative care. ⋯ Recommendations for future research were offered in order to maximize benefits, minimize risks and address complexity of artists' engagement in palliative care including: (1) consistency in methods and reporting; (2) inclusion of wider perspectives; and (3) key considerations for adapting the arts by health condition and art form.
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Nutrition support therapy is the delivery of formulated enteral or parenteral nutrients to restore nutritional status. Family physicians can provide nutrition support therapy to patients at risk of malnutrition when it would improve quality of life. The evidence for when to use nutrition support therapy is inconsistent and based mostly on low-quality studies. ⋯ Patients receiving nutrition support therapy should be monitored for complications, including refeeding syndrome. Nutrition support therapy does not improve quality of life in patients with dementia. Clinicians should engage in shared decision-making with patients and caregivers about nutrition support in palliative and end-of-life care.