Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Multicenter StudyA new Italian questionnaire to assess caregivers of cancer patients' satisfaction with palliative care: multicenter validation of the post mortem questionnaire-short form.
Caregiver satisfaction with palliative care is a crucial indicator of its effectiveness. In light of the lack of validated or reliable Italian instruments, the Post Mortem Questionnaire-Short Form (QPM-SF), a self-report questionnaire, has been developed to assess home and inpatient hospice care. ⋯ QPM-SF may be considered a valid, reliable, and well-accepted self-report instrument for examining and implementing palliative care interventions.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Self-reported physical symptoms in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors: pilot exploration over four months post-ICU discharge.
Survivors of critical illness must overcome persistent physical and psychological challenges. Few studies have longitudinally examined self-reported physical symptoms in intensive care unit (ICU) survivors. ⋯ In our sample, sleep disturbance, fatigue, weakness, and pain were the four key symptoms during first four months post-ICU discharge. Future studies focusing on these four symptoms are necessary to promote quality in post-ICU symptom management.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
Palliative care research in Africa: consensus building for a prioritized agenda.
Palliative care research in Africa is in its relative infancy, with dedicated financial support extremely limited. Therefore, setting research priorities to optimize use of limited resources is imperative. ⋯ Consensus-based palliative care topics determined by the study can assist researchers in optimizing limited research capacities by focusing on these prioritized areas. Subsequent to the identification and publication of the research agenda, concrete steps will be undertaken by the African Palliative Care Research Network and other partners to help implement it.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2014
The role of a low-dose ketamine-midazolam regimen in the management of severe painful crisis in patients with sickle cell disease.
Acute pain is one of the main causes of hospital admission in sickle cell disease, with variable intensity and unpredictable onset and duration. ⋯ Low-dose ketamine-midazolam IV infusion might be effective in reducing pain and opioid requirements in patients with sickle cell disease with severe painful crisis. Further controlled studies are required to prove this effect.