Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2012
Case ReportsUnique manifestations of catecholamine release in malignant pheochromocytoma: an experience within an inpatient palliative care unit.
Malignant pheochromocytoma is a rare disorder. We describe the case of a 41-year-old female with disseminated metastatic pheochromocytoma who was admitted for ongoing palliative and supportive care within an inpatient palliative care unit. ⋯ The potential for metoclopramide to worsen symptoms also was a significant component of management. The case presents rare features of this unusual disease and is unique for its setting within the confines of a palliative care unit.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2012
Randomized Controlled TrialThe meaning of parenteral hydration to family caregivers and patients with advanced cancer receiving hospice care.
In the U.S., patients with advanced cancer who are dehydrated or have decreased oral intake almost always receive parenteral hydration in acute care facilities but rarely in the hospice setting. ⋯ These findings differ from traditional hospice beliefs that dehydration enhances patient comfort, given that patients and their families in the study viewed fluids as enhancing comfort, dignity, and quality of life. Discussion with patients and families about their preferences for hydration may help tailor care plans to meet specific patient needs.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2012
Multicenter StudyEpisodic (breakthrough) pain prevalence in a population of cancer pain patients. Comparison of clinical diagnoses with the QUDEI--Italian questionnaire for intense episodic pain.
Breakthrough/episodic pain (BP-EP) diagnosis is often based on clinical experience, and different opinions exist, even among palliative care clinicians, about its definition and application to clinical practice. ⋯ Because BP-EP is a significant phenomenon in cancer pain management, its appropriate recognition requires a more widely, internationally accepted general definition and specific validated tools for its screening and evaluation.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2012
Illness perceptions, adjustment to illness, and depression in a palliative care population.
Representations of illness have been studied in several populations, but research is limited in palliative care. ⋯ Assessment of illness perceptions in palliative care is likely to yield important information about risk of depression and will help clinicians to personalize management of advanced disease.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2012
Refining a checklist for reporting patient populations and service characteristics in hospice and palliative care research.
In specialist hospice and palliative care services, variations occur in diagnoses and prognoses of subpopulations referred, service configuration, and the health systems delivering care. These three levels of variation limit the ability to generalize study findings. ⋯ Checklists such as the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials evaluate study design, focusing mainly on internal validity. The proposed checklist deals with specific content of hospice and palliative care, focusing on external validity.