Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2014
Palliative sedation in patients with advanced cancer followed at home: a prospective study.
Home care programs in Italy. ⋯ This protocol for PS was feasible and effective in minimizing distress for a subgroup of patients who died at home. The characteristics of patients who may be effectively sedated at home should be better explored in future studies.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2014
Multicenter Study Observational StudyEvaluation of risk factors predicting chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting: results from a European prospective observational study.
Demographic, personal, clinical, and behavioral factors predicting chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) have been assessed in the past, but inconsistencies exist in the literature, studies have methodological shortcomings, and many risk factors have been examined in cross-sectional studies and univariate analyses. ⋯ The results of this study provide clarity for the relative contribution of a set of characteristics in the development of CINV. Following evidence-based clinical antiemetic guidelines is of paramount importance, alongside treating patients with increased risk for CINV more aggressively, which both could lead to more optimal CINV management. These data can assist clinicians in making decisions about the antiemetic management of their patients.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2014
ReviewHow are palliative care cancer populations characterized in randomized controlled trials? A literature review.
The difficulties in defining a palliative care patient accentuate the need to provide stringent descriptions of the patient population in palliative care research. ⋯ A substantial variation exists in how palliative care cancer populations are described in RCTs. Few variables are consistently registered and reported. There is a clear need to standardize the reporting. The results from this work will serve as the basis for an international Delphi process with the aim of reaching consensus on a minimum set of descriptors to characterize a palliative care cancer population.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2014
ReviewThe complexity of nurses' attitudes and practice of sedation at the end of life: a systematic literature review.
Sedation is administered to some palliative care patients at the end of their life. Nurses play an important role in this practice. ⋯ Most nurses administered sedation until death only within the given circumstances because of the anticipatory benefits in controlling refractory symptoms and suffering. Some of them experienced burdens during PS delivery; these could be supported by operational guidelines and task-related training.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2014
Observational StudyPsychometric assessment of the MSAS-SF and the FACIT-Fatigue Scale in Spanish-speaking patients with cancer in Uruguay.
Several instruments have been developed to assess the symptom burden and fatigue produced by cancer and its treatment. However, little research has been conducted in Latin American Spanish-speaking patients. ⋯ The study showed that both the MSAS-SF and the FACIT-Fatigue have good reliability and validity for use with patients with cancer in Uruguay. When used simultaneously, these instruments may provide a complete picture of the impact of cancer and its treatment on the patient's quality of life.