Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Palliative Medicine Fellows' Discussions, Perceptions, and Training Regarding Medical Cannabis.
Medical cannabis is increasingly considered for palliation of pain, nausea/vomiting, anorexia, and other symptoms. ⋯ Most HPM fellows report formal training in the use of medical cannabis. Over half of trainees reported discussing medical cannabis with patients, but few considered themselves sufficiently informed to make cannabis-related clinical recommendations. These results suggest both a need for expanded high-quality evidence for medical cannabis in palliative care and for improved formal education for HPM fellows.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Factors associated with hospital admission in the last month: A retrospective single center analysis.
Driven by concerns about care quality, patient experience, and national metrics, health systems are increasingly focusing on identifying risk factors for patients who are hospitalized in the last month of life. ⋯ As patients with heart or liver disease or metastatic cancer had the highest odds of admission in the last month, collaborative interventions between primary, palliative, and specialty care may improve quality of care at the end of life.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Telehealth Preferences among Patients with Advanced Cancer in the Post COVID-19 Vaccine Era.
Few studies have examined patient preferences for telehealth in palliative care after the availability of COVID-19 vaccines. We examined patient preferences for video versus in-person visits and factors contributing to preferences in the postvaccine era. ⋯ Patients expressed strong preference for video over in-person visits in the outpatient palliative care setting.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
US Medicare Hospice and Palliative Medicine Physician Workforce and Service Delivery in 2008-2020.
Despite clinical benefits of early palliative care, little is known about Medicare physician workforce specialized in Hospice and Palliative Medicine (HPM) and their service delivery settings. ⋯ Despite growth in Medicare HPM physician workforce, access is disproportionately concentrated in metropolitan and inpatient settings. This may limit receipt of early outpatient specialized palliative care, especially in nonmetropolitan areas.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Jun 2024
Psychologists as Pivotal Members of the Pediatric Palliative Care Team.
Pediatric psychologists possess unique expertise to positively impact the care provided to children with serious illness and their families. Despite increasing recognition regarding the value of psychology in palliative care, psychologists are not yet routinely integrated into pediatric palliative care (PPC) teams. ⋯ With strong skills in research, clinical care, education, and advocacy, pediatric psychologists are exceptionally equipped to provide care to children with serious illness and their families. Given their unique contributions, it is critical future efforts are directed towards advocating for the inclusion of psychologists into PPC, with the ultimate goal of improving care for children with serious illness and their families.