Articles: palliative-care.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2021
Prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and the effect of interventions to reduce symptoms: A systematic literature review.
In recent years there has been increasing attention for the prevalence and prevention of burnout among healthcare professionals. There is unclarity about prevalence of burnout in healthcare professionals providing palliative care and little is known about effective interventions in this area. ⋯ The range of burnout among healthcare professionals providing palliative care varies widely. Interventions based on meditation, communication training, peer-coaching and art-therapy based supervision have positive effects but long-term outcomes are not known yet.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2021
The burden of serious health-related suffering among cancer decedents: Global projections study to 2060.
Palliative care improves outcomes for people with cancer, but in many countries access remains poor. Understanding future needs is essential for effective health system planning in response to global policy. ⋯ Many people with cancer will die with unnecessary suffering unless there is expansion of palliative care integration into cancer programmes. Failure to do this will be damaging for the individuals affected and the health systems within which they are treated.
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Palliative medicine · Jan 2021
Validation of the Distress Thermometer in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care in a hospice setting.
Ongoing assessment of psychological reaction to illness in palliative and end of life care settings is recommended, yet validated tools are not routinely used in clinical practice. The Distress Thermometer is a short screening tool developed for use in oncology, to detect individuals who would benefit from further psychological assessment. However the optimal cut-off to detect indicative psychological morbidity in patients with advanced cancer receiving specialist palliative care is unclear. ⋯ The Distress Thermometer is a valid, accurate screening tool to be used in advanced cancer but with caution in relation to the lack of specificity. With little variation between the area under the curve scores, arguably a Distress Thermometer cut-off score of ⩾5 is most appropriate in screening for all types of psychological morbidity if sensitivity is to be prioritised.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2021
Were clinical routines for good end-of-life care maintained in hospitals and nursing homes during the first three months of the outbreak of COVID-19? A national register study.
Although the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic might affect important clinical routines, few studies have focused on the maintenance of good quality in end-of-life care. ⋯ This national register study shows that several clinical routines for end-of-life care did not meet the usual standards during the first three months of the COVID-19 pandemic in Sweden. Higher preparedness for and monitoring of end-of-life care quality should be integrated into future pandemic plans.
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Background: Multidrug-resistant organisms (MDROs) are an important health care issue. Patients in Western societies often present an increased morbidity of chronic conditions accompanied by poor immune status and the use of devices. In particular, patients in palliative care (PC) are at greater risk of MDRO colonization, due to accompanying special devices and being hospitalized. Objective: To gain an overview of the literature regarding MDROs in PC. Design : Systematic review Data sources : On the 19th of October 2019 the databases " PubMed" and " CINAHL" were used to identify studies reporting on MDROs in PC; the search was updated on 16th of May 2020. Results: Seventeen out of 486 articles were included. ⋯ Not even half of institutions utilize existing protocols. Recommendations for dealing with MDROs indicate required staff and time resources as well as information, communication, and specific knowledge. Conclusion: There is a great need for studies examining the prevalence of all MDROs in the PC setting. Additionally, not only patients but also a public enlightenment on MDROs should be provided to decrease knowledge gaps and therefore reduce transmission on MDROs.