Journal of pain and symptom management
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2024
Controlled Clinical TrialEducation About Specialty Palliative Care Among Non-Healthcare Workers: A Systematic Review.
Despite the expansion of palliative care (PC) services, the public has little knowledge and holds misperceptions about PC, creating barriers to accessing timely specialty PC. ⋯ While educational interventions can positively impact knowledge and attitudes about PC among nonhealthcare workers, more research is needed to inform the design, delivery, and evaluation of interventions to increase knowledge and attitudes about PC.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2024
The "Surprise Question" for Prognostication in People with Parkinson's Disease & Related Disorders.
Parkinson's disease and related disorders (PDRD) are fatal neurodegenerative disorders characterized by a fluctuating course that can complicate prognostication. The "surprise question" (SQ: "Would you be surprised if your patient died in the next year?") has been used to identify patients with limited prognosis but has not been assessed in PDRD. ⋯ The SQ is sensitive to 12-month mortality in PDRD, with a high negative predictive value. The SQ may be useful for identifying patients less likely to die within a year and may be useful for identifying patients with palliative care needs outside of end-of-life care. This latter use may assist in mobilizing early and timely referral to specialist palliative care.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2024
Psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Palliative Care (FACIT-Pal) in patients with advanced cancer.
The Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Palliative Care (FACIT-Pal) has been widely used in assessing the quality of life (QOL) of patients with life-limiting illness. However, the Chinese version of the FACIT-Pal has not been psychometrically validated yet. ⋯ The Chinese version of the FACIT-Pal demonstrates desirable psychometric properties for evaluating QOL in Chinese patients with advanced cancer.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2024
Palliative Management of Inoperable Malignant Bowel Obstruction: Prospective, Open Label, Phase 2 Study at an NCI Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Malignant bowel obstruction (MBO) is a common complication of intra-abdominal cancer, frequently seen in advanced gastrointestinal and gynecologic cancer. Management of MBO can be challenging, particularly if the patient is not a surgical candidate. No consensus exists on how best to manage these patients medically. Retrospective studies suggest that the combination of dexamethasone, octreotide and metoclopramide may lead to relief of obstruction and improvement in symptoms associated with the obstruction. ⋯ "Triple therapy" with dexamethasone, metoclopramide, and octreotide for management of nonsurgical MBO in this small sample size appears safe and well tolerated however a diagnosis of inoperable MBO remains associated with poor prognosis and death within months.
-
J Pain Symptom Manage · Jan 2024
RELIGIOUS, CULTURAL AND SEX INFLUENCES ON ADVANCE CARE DIRECTIVES IN PATIENTS ADMITTED TO A TERTIARY CARE CENTER IN KENYA.
Advance care directives (AD) are instructions from patients regarding the care they would prefer if they could not make medical decisions in the future. It is widely recognized that racial and ethnic as well as sex differences, particularly in the West, can influence AD. However, to the best of our knowledge, there is limited understanding of how these factors impact AD in sub-Saharan Africa. ⋯ This study indicated a lower awareness and knowledge of AD among the participants. Hindus and Asians exhibited higher levels of awareness regarding AD. Considering the diverse religious and cultural backgrounds in our setting, there is a pressing need for strategies to increase awareness surrounding AD.