Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2022
Pediatric and adult cardiologists' and respirologists' referral practices to palliative care.
Children and adults with advanced cardiac or respiratory disease may benefit from specialized palliative care (SPC), but there has been little SPC research in this area. ⋯ There are important differences between pediatric and adult clinicians' beliefs about and referral practices to SPC. This may reflect unique features of pediatric diseases, provider characteristics, care philosophies, or service availability.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2022
Observational StudyEnd of Life Cost Savings in the Palliative Care Unit Compared to Other Services.
Hospital deaths carry a significant healthcare cost that has been confirmed to be lower when palliative care units (PCUs) are available. ⋯ Data from this study show that cost is significantly lower when the patients are treated by a PCU during their last hospital stay when they pass away.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Nov 2022
ReviewSubcutaneous drugs and off-label use in hospice and palliative care: a scoping review.
Subcutaneous drug administration is an interesting approach for symptom control in hospice and palliative care. However, most drugs have no marketing authorization for subcutaneous administration and are therefore used off-label. In order to meet the requirements of a safe and effective drug therapy, especially in highly vulnerable patients, it is essential to investigate the scope of evidence of these common practices. ⋯ This work provides an overview of current evidence on subcutaneous and off-label used drugs in hospice and palliative care. Although both are common practices, evidence on tolerability and effectiveness, particularly pharmacokinetic data, is limited and the identified information gaps need to be closed. This work establishes a basis for further research in this area.