Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2022
Sufficient death preparedness correlates to better mental health, quality of life, and EOL care.
Patients can prepare for end of life and their forthcoming death to enhance the quality of dying. ⋯ Conjoint cognitive and emotional preparedness for death is associated with cancer patients' lower psychological distress, better QOL, reduced anti-cancer therapy, and increased hospice-care utilization. Facilitating accurate prognostic awareness and emotional preparedness for death is justified when consistent with patient circumstances and preferences.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2022
Bereaved Parent Perspectives and Recommendations on Best Practices for Legacy Interventions.
Many pediatric hospitals offer legacy interventions for families to promote coping and support grief prior to and following the death of a child. Despite this practice, parent perceptions of the value of legacy activities are not well described, and best practices for offering and creating legacy interventions remain poorly understood. ⋯ Bereaved parents emphasized the meaningfulness of legacy-building activities and the need for an individualized approach when offering these interventions. Future research should explore the perspectives and recommendations of patients and siblings on legacy activities.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2022
Mechanical Ventilation and Survival in Patients with Advanced Dementia in Medicare Advantage.
Medicare Advantage (MA) cares for an increasing proportion of traditional Medicare (TM) patients although, the association of MA on low-value care among hospitalized patients is uncertain. ⋯ MA may reduce hospitalizations, however, once hospitalized, patients with AD enrolled in MA experience higher rates of IMV use and worse 30- and 365-day mortality compared to TM patients. Higher hospital concentration of MA did not reduce use of IMV. MA may not offer significant benefits in reducing low-value care among patients hospitalized with serious illness, questioning the benefits of this care model.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2022
HIV Symptom Clusters Are Similar Using the Dimensions of Symptom Occurrence and Distress.
People living with HIV infection (PLWH) in the United States continue to experience a high symptom burden despite improvements in antiretroviral therapy. ⋯ The number and types of symptom clusters were relatively similar across the occurrence and distress dimensions of the symptom experience. Symptom clusters in PLWH may provide insights into the development of targeted interventions for multiple co-occurring symptoms.