Articles: palliative-care.
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Early palliative care referral for patients with advanced cancer has demonstrable benefits but is underutilized. We sought to characterize medical oncologists' perceptions about palliative care referral in their clinical practices. ⋯ Medical oncologists are hesitant to adopt the practice of early palliative care referral because they are concerned that other physicians may disrupt a patient's treatment plan. Physician-centered barriers may delay integration of palliative care, and future efforts to promote a collaborative approach to advanced care planning may improve patient-centered outcomes through access to early palliative care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2020
Associations between the intention to use early palliative care, sources of information, and attitudes toward a good death in Korean adults.
Providing hospice and palliative care (HPC) early in the course of care for patients with life-threatening illness is important for improving patient quality of life. However, little literature exists for factors affecting to the intention to use early palliative care (EPC) of general population. ⋯ Information from health care providers and public awareness through education and publicity efforts are necessary to inform the public about the benefits of EPC. Furthermore, it is essential that medical staff cultivate the skills necessary to secure public trust and provide care that respects patients until the end of their lives.
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Palliative medicine · Sep 2020
Trends analysis of specialized palliative care services in 51 countries of the WHO European region in the last 14 years.
Service provision is a key domain to assess national-level palliative care development. Three editions of the European Association for Palliative Care (EAPC) Atlas of Palliative Care monitored the changes in service provision across Europe since 2005. ⋯ Specialized service provision increased throughout Europe, yet ratios per 100,000 inhabitants fell below the EAPC recommendations. Western Europe ratios' achieved half of the suggested services, while Central-Eastern countries achieved only a fourth. High-income countries and Western European countries account for the major increase. Central-Eastern Europe and low-to-middle-income countries reported little increase on specialized service provision.
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Support Care Cancer · Sep 2020
Effect of an electronic quality checklist on prescription patterns of prophylactic antiemetic and pain flare medications in the context of palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases.
International guidelines are available to guide prescription of antiemetic and pain flare medications in patients receiving palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases, but prescription rates are quite variable. We hypothesized that a simple electronic quality checklist could increase the evidence-based use of these medications. ⋯ Our data shows that a simple quality checklist item can have a significant effect on the evidence-based use of prophylactic antiemetic and pain flare medications in patients treated with palliative radiotherapy for bone metastases. We believe such strategies should be routinely included in other clinical pathways to improve the use of symptom control medications.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2020
The Creation of a Psychiatry-Palliative Care Liaison Team: Utilizing Psychiatrists to Extend Palliative Care Delivery and Access during the COVID-19 Crisis.
During the course of March and April 2020, New York City experienced a surge of a 170,000 coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases, overwhelming hospital systems and leading to an unprecedented need for palliative care services. ⋯ By training and supervising psychiatrists and advanced psychiatry trainees in specific palliative care roles, palliative care teams could more effectively meet markedly increased service needs of varying complexity during the COVID-19 crisis. As new geographic regions experience possible COVID-19 surges in the coming months, this may serve as a model for rapidly increasing palliative care workforce.