Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2014
Review Meta AnalysisCancer-related pain and symptoms among nursing home residents: a systematic review.
Many older nursing home (NH) residents with cancer experience pain and distressing symptoms. Although some develop cancer during their time in the institution, an increasing number are admitted during their final stages of their lives. Numerous studies have evaluated various treatment approaches, but how pain and symptoms are assessed and managed in people with cancer with and without dementia is unclear. ⋯ This review clearly reports a high prevalence of pain and reduced drug prescribing and treatment among NH residents with cancer. This issue appears to be most critical among people with severe dementia, emphasizing the need for better guidance and evidence on pain assessment for these individuals.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2014
Multicenter Study Controlled Clinical TrialImpact of a clinical pharmacist-led guidance team on cancer pain therapy in China: a prospective multicenter cohort study.
Cancer treatment capacity in China is severely limited relative to the enormous size of the population; and many aspects of treatment, such as opioid protocols for pain control, are not standardized. To improve the quality of drug treatment, clinical pharmacists are taking a more active role in patient care. ⋯ The CPGTs significantly improved standardization, efficiency, and efficacy of cancer pain therapy in China. In a country where clinical pharmacy is still developing, this is a valuable service model that may enhance cancer treatment capacity and efficacy while promoting recognition of the clinical pharmacy profession.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2014
Psychometric properties of the Polish version of the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory-20 in cancer patients.
Multidimensional questionnaires estimating cancer-related fatigue (CRF) as a symptom cluster or a clinical syndrome primarily have been used and validated in English-speaking populations. However, cultural issues and language peculiarities can affect CRF assessment ⋯ The Polish version of the MFI-20 is well accepted by patients, reliable, and a valid instrument to assess CRF in Polish cancer patients.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2014
Randomized Controlled Trial Comparative StudyClinic-based outpatient palliative care before hospice is associated with longer hospice length of service.
Outpatient nonhospice palliative care has been shown to provide many benefits to patients facing advanced illness, but such services remain uncommon in the U.S. Little is known about the association between clinic-based outpatient palliative care consultation and the timing of hospice enrollment. ⋯ Hospice patients who had clinic-based outpatient palliative consults before hospice enrollment tended, on average, to have a longer LOS in hospice than patients who did not.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Oct 2014
Perceptions of health status and survival in patients with metastatic lung cancer.
Cognitive awareness of having a terminal illness is associated with critical treatment decisions and outcomes. However, little is known about the course and correlates of such perceptions in patients with metastatic lung cancer. ⋯ A minority of patients with metastatic NSCLC acknowledged being terminally ill. Those reporting that they were seriously and terminally ill had shorter survival compared with those who did not consider themselves terminally ill, even after adjusting for decline in physical and functional well-being.