Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
Psychometric Properties of the Arabic Version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illnesses Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) in Arabic Cancer Patients.
The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy (FACIT) is a measurement system that was developed to assess the health-related quality of life among patients with cancer and other chronic illnesses. The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue (FACIT-F) is a 40-item questionnaire, and it is one of the most frequently used instruments to assess fatigue in cancer populations. The aim of this study was to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Arabic FACIT-F among patients diagnosed with cancer. ⋯ The Arabic versions of the FACIT-Fatigue and FACT-G demonstrated good reliability and validity for assessing fatigue and quality of life in patients diagnosed with cancer.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
Comparative StudyComparing methadone rotation to consensus opinion.
Methadone is a complex but useful medication for pain management in palliative care. Recent expert opinions have been published on the safe and effective use of methadone. ⋯ The utilization of a standardized protocol was associated with better patient outcomes.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
The Role of a Symptom Assessment Tool in Shaping Patient-Physician Communication in Palliative Care.
Patients with cancer experience many symptoms that disrupt quality of life, and symptom communication and management can be challenging. The Edmonton Symptom Assessment System (ESAS) was developed to standardize assessment and documentation of symptoms, yet research is needed to understand patients' and caregivers' experiences using the tool and its ability to impact patient-provider aligned care. ⋯ The ESAS is beneficial in enhancing symptom communication when used as a guide to identify and understand patients' main concerns.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
A Longitudinal Study of Predictors of Constipation Severity in Oncology Outpatients with Unrelieved Pain.
Although constipation is a common symptom in oncology patients, it often goes unrecognized and untreated. In addition, little is known about characteristics associated with interindividual differences in constipation severity. ⋯ Our findings underscore the high prevalence of and large amount of interindividual variability in constipation severity. The characteristics associated with worse CAS scores can assist clinicians to identify high-risk patients and initiate prompt interventions.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2020
Patient-reported symptom severity among 22,650 cancer outpatients in the last 6 months of life.
Understanding the magnitude and risk factors for symptom burden of patients with cancer at the end of life is critical to guiding effective patient- and system-level interventions. ⋯ Despite an integrated symptom screening program, rates of severe patient-reported symptom scores before death were high for outpatients with cancer. Patient subgroups at increased risk of severe symptom burden may benefit from targeted interventions. Ongoing review of routinely collected symptom data may be used to assess the supportive care needs and guide targeted interventions at the health-system level.