Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2021
ReviewUser-centered design of the consideRATE questions, a measure of people's experiences when they are seriously ill.
No brief patient-reported experience measure focuses on the most significant concerns of seriously ill individuals. ⋯ Our brief patient-reported serious illness experience measure is based on what matters most to patients, families, and clinicians. It was acceptable to patients and families in a regional sample. It has promise for use in clinical settings.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2021
Randomized Controlled TrialStable symptom clusters and evolving symptom networks in relation to chemotherapy cycles.
The existence of stable symptom clusters with variations or changes in cluster membership and the merging of symptom clusters over time urge us to investigate how symptom relationships change over time. ⋯ Stable symptom clusters and evolving networks were identified. The most central symptom was fatigue; however, the paucity of studies that investigated symptom networks and central symptoms calls for further investigations on these phenomena. Identification of central symptoms and underlying mechanisms will guide efficient symptom management. Future studies will need to focus on developing comprehensive interventions for managing symptom clusters or targeting central symptoms.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2021
Racial/ethnic differences in staff-assessed pain behaviors among newly-admitted nursing home residents.
Nonverbal pain behaviors are effective indicators of pain among persons who have difficulty communicating. In nursing homes, racial/ethnic differences in self-reported pain and pain management have been documented. ⋯ Among residents requiring staff assessment of pain because they are unable to self-report, nursing home staff documented pain and its treatment less often in Non-Hispanic blacks and Hispanics than in non-Hispanic white residents. Studies to understand the role of differences in expression of pain, explicit bias, and implicit bias are needed to inform interventions to reduce disparities in pain documentation and treatment.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2021
Cerebrospinal fluid metabolomic profiles associated with fatigue during treatment for pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most distressing and persistent symptoms reported during pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) therapy; however, information on the pathways underlying CRF severity is limited. ⋯ The metabolites identified in our assessment have been implicated in neurotransmitter transportation and glutathione recycling, suggesting that glutamatergic pathways or oxidative stress may contribute to ALL-associated CRF. This information could inform targeted therapies for reducing CRF in at-risk individuals.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2021
Psychological Distress in Bereaved Caregivers of Patients with Advanced Cancer.
Individuals caring for patients with advanced cancer (caregivers) experience psychological distress during the patient's illness course. However, data on the prevalence of bereaved caregivers' psychological distress and its relationship with the quality of patient's end of life (EOL) care are limited. ⋯ Many bereaved caregivers of patients with advanced cancer experience symptoms of depression and anxiety, which are associated with their perceptions of distress in their loved ones at the EOL.