Articles: palliative-care.
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Palliative care (PC) is an essential part of the healthcare system, aiming to improve the quality of life of terminally ill patients and their families through prevention, relief of suffering, and providing psychosocial and spiritual support. To achieve high-quality PC, medical education should encompass PC training, including knowledge of PC, and skills and attitudes towards PC, at the undergraduate level. The aim of this study is to identify PC knowledge and experience among undergraduate medical and nursing students at Sultan Qaboos University (SQU), a government university in Oman. ⋯ Despite the fact that SQU students had favorable attitudes towards PC, they have insufficient knowledge and lack of experience. As the number of geriatric and terminal cancer patients increases across Oman, there is a need for the healthcare system to provide high-quality and effective PC services. Thus, there is an urgent need to integrate PC teaching courses as part of the undergraduate medical education for medical and nursing students.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Patterns of Specialty Palliative Care Utilization Among Patients Receiving Palliative Radiotherapy.
Palliative radiation therapy (RT) is frequently used to ameliorate cancer-associated symptoms and improve quality of life. ⋯ Fewer than half of patients receiving palliative RT utilized specialty PC. Initiatives are needed to increase PC, especially for patients with lung cancer and neurological symptoms, and to empower radiation oncologists to refer patients to specialty PC.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
The Development of Palliative Care in Colombia: An analysis of geographical inequalities through the application of international indicators.
The national evaluation of an individual country is a tool used to improve the universal provision of palliative care. The evaluation of a country's internal situation, by means of an analysis of the development of palliative care by region, may also be an instrument for improvement. ⋯ Regional palliative care development is unequal and unbalanced. Applying international indicators to levels of regional development allows for the identification of geographical inequalities and highlights low palliative care development, especially in the rural areas of the country.
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Internal medicine journal · Aug 2021
Negative media portrayal of palliative care: a content analysis of print media prior to the passage of Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation in Victoria.
Key misunderstandings of palliative care exist in the community, with media being reported as a key source underpinning knowledge. This retrospective media analysis of consecutive articles sought to examine the portrayal of palliative care in the Australian print media, focussing on the 2 years (2016-2018) coverage preceding the Voluntary Assisted Dying legislation in Victoria, Australia. ⋯ These findings suggest that current coverage of palliative care in the media may contribute to negative public views and misconceptions. An opportunity exists to enhance media coverage, and in turn, improve the public understanding of care in serious illness.