Journal of pain and symptom management
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2025
Impact of a criteria-based inpatient Palliative Oncology consultation model on end-of-life outcomes.
Early, integrated palliative care (PC) improves outcomes in advanced cancer; however, inpatient PC referrals still exceed outpatient referrals nationwide. Recognizing need for enhanced integration, our cancer center implemented a criteria-based PC consultation model in inpatient oncology. ⋯ Embedded, criteria-based PC consultation in inpatient oncology was associated with earlier PC involvement, longer hospice LOS, and reduced EOL care intensity.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Mar 2025
Designing and delivering a poetry workshop for clinician well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic: A case study.
Facilitated poetry writing workshops are used in healthcare settings as a therapeutic approach to address stressful factors that negatively influence clinician well-being. However, owing to the novelty of this intervention and a tendency to combine poetry with other types of narrative-based techniques, proponents of poetic medicine are calling for harmonization across programs in the US. This would facilitate the study of poetry in medicine and the multiple facets of well-being it is said to promote. To address these points, we partnered with a well-established poetry center to develop and study a facilitated poetry writing workshop program for palliative care and emergency medicine clinicians during the COVID-19 pandemic. ⋯ Healthcare systems seeking to incorporate poetry into their wellness programming may build upon our findings to create flexible workshops suited to their clinician audience and program intent.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2025
ReviewDeep continuous sedation until death and experience of relatives and healthcare providers: a systematic review.
Continuous deep sedation until death (CDS) is a procedure commonly used in palliative care to alleviate refractory symptoms in terminally ill patients. This systematic review aims to explore the experiences of both healthcare providers (HCPs) and relatives regarding the use of CDS, highlighting emotional, ethical, and practical implications. ⋯ CDS can alleviate suffering but raises ethical and communication challenges for both families and healthcare providers. Clearer guidelines, enhanced support systems, and improved communication strategies are essential for better CDS practices.
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J Pain Symptom Manage · Feb 2025
To identify relatives at risk for Prolonged Grief Disorder symptomatology: A cross-sectional study.
While most bereaved can navigate a death-related loss, some face persistent and disabling challenges, a condition known as Prolonged Grief Disorder (PGD). Early identification of PGD can prevent adverse health outcomes. The effectiveness of healthcare providers' clinical intuition versus relatives' self-report surveys in estimating the risk of developing PGD remains uncertain. ⋯ The Pre-Loss Grief-12 accurately predicted PGD symptomatology seven months post-loss, while clinical intuition did not perform better than chance. Future research should compare the predictive value of self-report data with clinical interviews.