Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
ReviewPharmacological Management of Bronchorrhea in Malignant Disease: A Systematic Literature Review.
Malignant respiratory tract tumors can lead to massive fluid production, known as bronchorrhea. This symptom can be very distressing itself, and it can lead to or aggravate other symptoms such as dyspnea and cough. Pharmacological treatment options have been reported in the literature. However, no systematic evaluation of their effectiveness has been conducted so far. ⋯ There are only very limited data on the pharmacological management of bronchorrhea in malignant disease. Because of the distressing nature of the symptom, a pragmatic management strategy is essential. This can include promising treatment options reported in the literature but should also take into account availability, individual tolerability, and costs. Further research is needed.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Association Between Bereaved Families' Sense of Security and Their Experience of Death in Cancer Patients: Cross-Sectional Population-Based Study.
The sense of security scale was developed to indicate care quality within the community. Bereaved families have perspective to evaluate the quality of the care system. ⋯ Quality of death and lower burden on family caregivers were associated with families' sense of security. This suggests strategies for improving care quality for each patient to improve the sense of security.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Breathlessness During the Last Week of Life in Palliative Care: An Australian Prospective, Longitudinal Study.
Breathlessness is a major cause of suffering and distress, and little is known about the trajectory of breathlessness near death. ⋯ Although breathlessness has been reported to worsen in the last months, the mean severity remained stable in the final week of life. In specialized palliative care, one in three people experienced significant breathlessness especially in respiratory disease.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · May 2016
Disparities Between Clinician and Patient Perception of Breakthrough Pain Control.
There are disparities in the level of symptom severity as perceived by patients and health professionals. There is limited information about patients' and clinicians' global assessment of breakthrough pain control, the need to change analgesics, and change in breakthrough pain over time. ⋯ There are significant differences in global impressions of breakthrough pain between patients and pain clinicians that become less disparate as a therapeutic relationship evolves. Therapeutic decisions were based on clinical rather than patient perceptions.