Journal of pain and symptom management
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Therapeutic Reviews aim to provide essential independent information for health professionals about drugs used in palliative and hospice care. Additional content is available on www.palliativedrugs.com. Country-specific books (Hospice and Palliative Care Formulary USA, and Palliative Care Formulary, British and Canadian editions) are also available and can be ordered from www.palliativedrugs.com. The series editors welcome feedback on the articles (hq@palliativedrugs.com).
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2016
ReviewThe Experience of Fatigue Across Long-Term Conditions: A Qualitative Meta-Synthesis.
Fatigue is a common and debilitating symptom associated with many long-term conditions and is reported to cause significant levels of distress for those individuals. There is a substantial body of literature related to the nature of fatigue; however, this has not been drawn together and compared across conditions. ⋯ Although similarities in the nature of the fatigue experienced were found across conditions, differences were also evident and could be mapped for cancer-related fatigue and post-stroke fatigue. Further qualitative research on the experience of fatigue across a wide range of chronic conditions would further contribute to understanding similarities and differences across conditions and inform both research and practice in relation to assessment and management.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2016
Fentanyl Pectin Nasal Spray versus Oral Morphine in Doses Proportional to the Basal Opioid Regimen for the Management of Breakthrough Cancer Pain: A Comparative Study.
Fentanyl products have shown superiority over oral opioids for the management of breakthrough cancer pain (BTcP). However, these studies did not use an appropriate patient selection, and drugs have been compared using a different rationale. ⋯ When used in doses proportional to the basal opioid regimen, FPNS showed a superior analgesic effect over OM for the management of BTcP. Only minor adverse effects were found with both medications.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2016
The Impact of a Novel Tool for Comprehensive Assessment of Palliative Care (MPCAT) on Assessment Outcome at 6- and 12-Month Follow-Up.
Assessment in palliative care settings should be focused, sensitive, specific, and effective to minimize discomfort to vulnerable and often highly morbid patients. This report describes the development of an admission assessment protocol for a Specialist Palliative Care Inpatient Unit and its implementation into clinical practice. ⋯ Introducing the Milford Palliative Care Assessment Tool was associated with significant improvement in assessment of multiple important aspects of patient need.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jul 2016
ReviewWhat Are the Key Elements of Educational Interventions for Lay Carers of Patients With Advanced Disease? A Systematic Literature Search and Narrative Review of Structural Components, Processes and Modes of Delivery.
Educating carers about symptom management may help meet patient and carer needs in relation to distressing symptoms in advanced disease. Reviews of the effectiveness of carer interventions exist, but few have focused on educational interventions and none on the key elements that comprise them but which could inform evidence-based design. ⋯ Published evaluations of educational interventions for carers in advanced disease are limited, particularly for non-cancer conditions. Key elements for consideration in developing such interventions were identified; however, lack of reporting of reasons for nonparticipation or dropout from interventions limits understanding of the contribution of these elements to interventions' effectiveness. When developing personnel-delivered interventions for carers in advanced disease, consideration of the disease (and, therefore, caring) trajectory, intervention accessibility (timing, location, and transport), and respite provision may be helpful.