Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2023
Awareness and actual knowledge of palliative care among older people: a Dutch national survey.
Lack of public knowledge of palliative care may be a barrier to timely use of palliative care and hinder engagement in advance care planning (ACP). Little research has been conducted on (the relationship between) awareness and actual knowledge of palliative care. ⋯ Knowledge of palliative care is limited, stressing the need for population-wide interventions, including information meetings. Attention should be paid to timely attention for palliative care needs. This might stimulate ACP and raise public knowledge of (im) possibilities of palliative care.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2023
Real world experience of change in psycho-existential symptoms in palliative care.
Psycho-existential symptoms in palliative care are addressed insufficiently. Routine screening, ongoing monitoring and meaningful treatment of psycho-existential symptoms may contribute to the relief of suffering in palliative care. ⋯ As we better recognize through screening patients carrying psycho-existential distress in palliative care programs, there is considerable room for improvement in ameliorating this suffering. Inadequate clinical skills, poor psychosocial staffing or a biomedical program culture may all contribute to inadequate symptom control. Person-centered care necessitates greater attention to authentic multidisciplinary care that ameliorates psycho-spiritual and existential distress.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2023
Use of Medical Cannabis by Patients with Cancer: Attitudes, Knowledge, and Practice.
Demand for medical cannabis (MC) is growing among Israeli patients with cancer. ⋯ Misconceptions regarding the effectiveness of MC for symptom management and treatment may explain the motivation of patients with cancer to apply for a permit. There seems to be an association of young age, cigarette smoking, and recreational cannabis use with ongoing use of MC among cancer survivors.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Sep 2023
A Systematic Approach to Assessing and Addressing Palliative Care Needs in an Outpatient Population.
A critical frontier for palliative medicine is to develop systems to routinely and equitably address the palliative care (PC) needs of seriously ill populations. ⋯ Through an innovative program, patients with serious illness were identified from a primary care population, assessed for PC needs, and offered specific services to meet those needs. While some patients were appropriate for specialty PC, even more needs were addressed without specialty PC. The program resulted in increased ACP and preserved quality of life.