Journal of the American Geriatrics Society
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Do palliative consultations improve patient outcomes?
To determine whether inpatient palliative consultation services improve outcomes of care. ⋯ Palliative consultations improve outcomes of care, and earlier consultations may confer additional benefit.
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Multicenter Study Comparative Study
Pain, dyspnea, and the quality of dying in long-term care.
To evaluate the relationship between pain, dyspnea, and family perceptions of the quality of dying in long-term care. ⋯ For residents dying in long-term care, pain and dyspnea were not associated with a poorer quality of dying as perceived by families of deceased residents. Instead, dyspnea may alert staff to the need for care. Initiatives to improve the quality of dying in long-term care should focus not only on physical symptoms, but also on the alleviation of nonphysical sources of suffering at the end of life.