Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Palliative Care Consultation in Hospitalized Patients with COVID-19: A Retrospective Study of Characteristics, Outcomes, and Unmet Needs.
Few studies have described the characteristics and palliative care needs in hospitalized patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). ⋯ During this pandemic, understanding inpatient specialized palliative care needs and the vulnerable populations driving these causes may encourage health-care agencies and local, state, and federal governments to support the dedicated palliative care workforce.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Transitioning From Hospital to Palliative Care at Home: Patient and Caregiver Perceptions of Continuity of Care.
Continuity of care is important at improving the patient experience and reducing unnecessary hospitalizations when transitioning across care settings, especially at the end of life. ⋯ Patients' and their caregivers' valuation of continuity of care was dependent on their stage of the hospital-to-home transition. Optimizing continuity of care requires an integrated network of providers with reliable information transfer and communication.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Nutrition impact symptom clusters in patients with head and neck cancer receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy.
The objective of this study was to identify the nutrition impact symptom (NIS) clusters in patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) receiving concurrent chemoradiotherapy (CCRT) and explore their relationships with the weight loss rate (WLR). ⋯ The NIS had close internal connections with each other, so the strategies applied by healthcare professionals should focus on multiple related symptoms, especially to manage the RT-specific symptom cluster.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Observational StudyPrevalence and risk factors of breathlessness across Canada: A national retrospective cohort study in home care and nursing home populations.
Breathlessness is a symptom associated with poor clinical outcomes and prognosis. Little is known about its long-term trends and associations with social factors including decline in social activities and caregiver distress. ⋯ The prevalence of clinician-reported breathlessness is higher in home care than in nursing home populations, the former having risen by 10% over the decade. Prevalence of breathlessness is associated with decline in social activities and caregiver distress. Enhanced supports may be required to meet increasing patient need in the community.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Aug 2021
Nurse Perspectives on Urinary Incontinence in the Home Hospice Setting.
To date, no studies have characterized the impacts of urinary incontinence (UI) at the end of life in the home hospice (HH) setting. UI is highly prevalent at the end of life and adversely affects quality of life. ⋯ UI is a prevalent and debilitating condition in HH patients. There is a need for studies to further characterize the impacts of UI on HH patients and their caregivers. Formal training on UI subtypes and management is needed to facilitate proper documentation, research, and improve patient outcomes.